We'll save the world again
by blacksakura13
Summary: Three years after the great seal is made, Ryoji finds himself in a quaint little town called Inaba. "Why am I back...?" He thought. Persona 3 x Persona 4 crossover. Pairings: MinatoxRyoji /at least I'll try/ Shonnen-ai. more parings later...i guess
1. Prologue

Nyx had finally fallen.

The members of the SEES looked amongst themselves, anxiety and horror written on their faces.

Where was the leader?

"M-MINATO-KUN?!" Screamed a girl clad in pink, her eyes getting watery. "Th-this isn't funny!" A sob and then finally, her tears ran down her face.

Someone placed a hand on her shoulder. "Yuka-tan…" Came the pained voice of her friend, Junpei Iori. He couldn't look her in the eye. He couldn't look at anyone at the moment. His best friend...Is he really...?

The group was silent aside from the sobs that came from Yukari and the whimpering heard from Koro-chan.

"This…can't be happening…" Whispered Aigis, a robot designed to exterminate shadows. Despite the fact of being a robot, tears flowed down her face. She said…She said she would protect him… _How **useless** _she thought bitterly about herself before a sob erupted from her lips.

The Tower before them was slowly transforming into their school but there was still no sign of their leader.

"Yamagishi-san…" Said the groups red head and future head of the Kirijo group, Mitsuru Kirijo. "Where is he…?" She asked in a quiet manner.

Fuuka Yamagishi gripped onto her evoker. She was scared. Did she really want to know if their leader was...Gone? She bit her lower lip then let out a sigh. Pulling the evoker up to her head, she pulled the trigger. "Juno…"

The night's air was momentarily filled with the sound of a gunshot and the shattering of glass.

After a few minutes of waiting, of hoping, Juno was finally dismissed and the group awaited Fukka's analysis. She hesitated and looked down. "He…." she frowned, her eyes filled with tears. "He's not here…" She sobbed, falling on her knees and started wiping her tears with the back of her hand, "He's not---"

Yukari sniffled and walked over to Fuuka and placed both hands on her shoulders and knelt down. "You--You're wrong! YOU'RE LYING!!!" She yelled, shaking her friend viciously.

_This is a day they'll never forget. The day they won the battle against Nyx. The day they saved mankind._

_…The day they lost Minato Arisato._

* * *

**AN:!!**

**Okay!!! So this is my first serious fanfic for persona 3!!!**

**i just had the urge to write (type) this.**

**I still have no idea where this story is going but, meh. I'll think of something.**

**Anywho, this is just the prologue.  
**


	2. Prologue, sorta

**03/21/2012—Tuesday. Sunny**

The group stood before their leader. He was leaving Inaba today. They all knew that this day would come but they hoped that it didn't have to come so soon…

"Um…I can't quite decide what to do…" Said Naoto, a frown on her face. "At first, I only planned on staying here until the case was completely closed…" She walked up to her senpai, blush spreading across her cheeks. "Maybe I should stick to my original plan… and take the train back with you, Senpai."

Her comrades looked at her with shock but the blush slowly faded away from her cheeks and she laughed softly. "Kidding of course." She said. "…I couldn't do something like that."

The group laughed. This wasn't good bye, they agreed wordlessly. It was more like a "see you again."

Their laughter was interrupted by a phone call.

**_PA PA PA PI PI PI!_**

"Uhh, whose phone is that?" Yosuke asked, looking around as everyone pulled their phones out. "Hello? Dojima speaking." Said Ryotaro Dojima into his phone.

The group went quiet, respecting the detectives phone call.

"Oh! Hey sis!"

Seta turned to his uncle. _Why did mom call…?_

"Oh yeah. He's right here. He was just about to leave." Dojima said. "Hmmm… I see."

Dojima smiled and handed the phone to his nephew who only gave him a confused look. He took the phone anyway and placed it against his ear. "Hello, Mom?"

_"Sweetheart! It's nice to hear from you again!"_ His mother said happily.

"It's nice to hear from you too." He replied.

_"So, I know this may be sudden but, do you mind if you stayed with your uncle a tad bit longer?"_

Seta smiled widely. "It fine!" He said happily, earning looks from his friends. "But why?"

_"Well, the previous head of the company passed away recently and in his will, he decided to leave the company in your father's hands."_

Seta looked confused. "But why dad? Why not a family member?"

_"Because he had no family left. No kids, no grand kids, no one." _His mother let out a sad sigh. _"He was a really nice person though. You know, the type of person who was nice but still ruled with an iron fist? And your father just wanted to impress him."_

Seta let out a laugh. "Sounds like dad, alright."

He could just hear the smile on his mom's face. _"Nnhmm! They became really close friends. That's probably why he chose your father. Alright, sweetie. I have to go. Love you. Muwah!"_

"Love you too, mom. Bye and good luck with running the company!" Said Seta happily.

_"Thanks, sweet heart. Bye."_ And with that, she hung up.

Seta handed his phone back to his uncle who only smiled. This only confused Nanako. "Dad, is big bro in trouble…?"

Dojima shook his head. "No. But I know he'll be staying a bit longer at our place!" He smiled, ruffling Nanako's hair.

Nanako's face changed from concern to shock and excitement. "R-Really?!"

Seta nodded in agreement. "Yeah! Really!"

"What?! No way! Seriously, partner?" Yosuke exclaimed.

Rise-chan threw her arms around Seta's neck and started sobbing…Again. "SENPAI!!! YOU'RE NOT GOING!!!!"

Seta tried his best to stay conscious as his friends tried to release him from Rise-chan's death hug.

* * *

**AN:**

**uhh, this is just to explain things**

**so, yeeaaaaah.....  
**


	3. Chapter 1

**03/31/2012— Saturday, sunny**

A pair of blue eyes belonging to a brunette fluttered open. Where was he?

…

A more important question though… Why was he here? Why was he still alive?

He stood up, brushing off the dirt from his black pants and grabbed one end of his yellow scarf and tossed it around his neck. "If I'm here…" He thought aloud, "Does that mean—" He choked on his on spit and coughed a bit. Fear was written across his face and he sunk into his scarf. "Does that mean **SHE'S **coming back as well..?"

* * *

"Hey, awe yoo alwight, mistah?"

A boy with blue hair sat up and opened his eyes ever so slightly. "That was one helluva nap…" He muttered under his breath.

"Mistah?"

He turned to the sound of the voice and found curious eyes scanning him. "Awe yoo alwight?"

The boy smiled a charming smile, causing the little girl to blush. "I'm alright." He said patting her head. "I was just taking a nap." _Like hell I was. Where am I?_

The little girl blushed some more but smiled at him. "Th-thass good to hear, mistah!" and with that, she walked away, waving goodbye to the nice boy she just met.

The boy pulled his legs to his chest. _Why…? I thought I… Oh, right. Crap. I have to find the others soon..._ He shook his head, clearing his thoughts as he tried to calm down. He pulled on his earphones and turned his mp3 player on. _I need… I need a plan…_

_

* * *

_

"Excuse me, sir."

The brunette with headphones around his neck turned around. "Uh, don't ever call me SIR. It makes me feel old." He put down the magazine he was reading and smiled. "Call me Yosuke. Yosuke Hanamura." He extended his hand to this stranger. _Probably a tourist _he though.

"I'm Mochizuki. Ryoji Mochizuki. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Ryoji gripped Yosuke's hand and shook it as he smiled.

The moment the two made contact, Yosuke felt something weird. _What's with this guy? There's something up with this guy._ He shrugged the idea off when Ryoji spoke.

"Well, this is going to sound really stupid."

Yosuke shook his head. "S'all right! My friend is king of stupid!"

For some reason, that didn't help Ryoji at all. He let out a sigh and nodded. "What date is it today?"

Yosuke smiled. _That wasn't stupid! I forget the date a lot, too. _He thought. Letting out a laugh, he replied. "It's March 31, 2012."

"Hm…Three years, huh…" Ryoji let out another sigh and nodded. "And…uh…"

_Three years? What about three years? _"Yeah? What is it?" Yosuke asked, adjusting his headphones.

"Where are we?" Ryoji asked with a serious face.

Yosuke blinked. _How can you not know where you are? _"Uh, you're kidding…right?"

When Ryoji shook his head, Yosuke answered. "This is Inaba."

Ryoji nodded. "Alright…Thank you." He turned around and started walking. He was one of the strangest people Yosuke has ever met.

* * *

The blue hair boy stood up. He decided that he should find out exactly where he was. He walked up to a store and noticed that inside there was a man who was wearing a familiar yellow scarf. "Ryoji-kun?" He asked in disbelief.

Said boy turned around, eyes going wide. "Minato-kun? Why are you—"

"Probably the same reason you're here." intervened Minato, removing his earphones and turning his mp3 off.

Ryoji nodded, facing the store clerk and smiled. "Thanks very much for you help." He said smiling a smile that was sure to make blush or even faint.

The girl blushed madly and nodded. "N-no problem at all! Come back soon, okay?" She said as the two friends walked out of the store.

As they walked aimlessly, they started talking, exchanging information.

"Why are we back?" Ryoji asked, frowning.

Minato shook his head. "It's all a blur to me… I sealed off Nyx then…I can't remember… Do you think maybe the seal was broken?"

Ryoji's eyes went wide. "You're onto something… Maybe…" He let out a gasp in realization. "Erebus!"

Minato raised an eyebrow. "Erebus?"

Ryoji nodded then explained. "Erebus is a freakishly ugly shadow-like thing."

"Shadow-like?"

Ryoji nodded yet again. "It isn't a shadow…Its human races desire to die taken form."

"That's horrible…" Minato said, hands shoved in his pockets like always. Without Ryoji realizing, Minato was able to steer them into the food court of this place called Junes. Minato sat down, gesturing for Ryoji to do so too. Ryoji complied.

"Minato-kun, why are we here?" Ryoji asked as Minato searched for his wallet. He was surprised when he did. He thought it would be gone but he still had everything that was on him when he sealed off Nyx…such as his mp3 and evoker.

"I'm hungry…" Minato said. He stood up. "I'll just buy us some food." He started walking towards one of the stores.

Ryoji rubbed his temples. _How could he think about food at a time like this?_

* * *

"Hey, that guy is kinda cute." Said Chie as the group entered the food court. "I wonder if he's waiting for someone."

Yukiko giggled. "You're right! He is cute."

The group seated themselves at their usual spot. "Guys, something feels weird…" stated Rise-chan as she sat next to her senpai.

"Weird? Weird how?" asked Seta.

Rise shook her head. "I don't know…"

"Maybe you have the flu or somethin'" Kanji suggested.

Yosuke looked at the guy Chie (Yukiko, even!) thought was cute. "Hey! I know that guy!!" He pointed at Ryoji and Chie practically tackled him to the ground. "HOW DO YOU KNOW HIM!!?! You've gotta set us up!" She said smiling crazily.

Rise, deciding to shrug off the weird feeling, turned to look for Chie's cutie. She gasped, clutching her head in pain as she whimpered.

"Rise?! What's wrong?" said Naoto as she stood up quickly, causing her chair to fall backwards. The group turned their attention to Rise as a chorus of 'What's the matter' and 'are you alright' came from everybody's lips.

"Chie-senpai…That guy…that guy is DANGEROUS…"

* * *

**AN:**

**nothing much to say....**

**reviews are appreciated  
**


	4. Chapter 2

"What?!" Exclaimed Kanji who helped Rise up on her feet.

"N-no way…Do you think that maybe he might be like Adachi-san?" Suggested Chie, frowning at the fact that such a cute guy was (could be) evil.

Everyone eyes went wide and Chie's frown grew. "So I was right, again?" She sat back down on her chair and everyone followed suit. "I was just saying random things."

Seta shook his head. "That explains why Rise-chan felt something"

Naoto nodded her head. "That makes perfect sense, senpai." She pondered for a moment then added "We should keep an eye on him. He may be innoce—"

"WE'LL DEFEAT ALL ENEMIES NO MATTER WHAT!!! Right, sensei?" Teddie intervened, jumping up and down in excitement.

Yosuke pulled at Teddie's shirt, bringing Teddie down on his seat. "You idiot bear!!!" He hissed. "What if he heard you?!"

Teddie went silent. "I'm bear-y sorry, Yosuke."

"Shh!!! Someone's coming!!!" Said Yukiko, making everyone shut up and see the new character arrive next to Ryoji.

Minato sat down, laying a tray of food for both himself and Ryoji on the table. He grabbed a can of tea and handed it to Ryoji.

Ryoji glared at the tea in his friend's hand. Angrily, he slapped the can away and it landed on the floor with a silent KLANK. "How in the world can you be so calm about this?" He asked through gritted teeth.

Minato, his stoic face turning into a frown, picked up the can. "As a leader, I have to be calm." He gave the cleaner can to Ryoji, who reluctantly accepted it, and he opened his own can and took swig. "And it comes naturally to me." He shrugged.

Ryoji, not fully convinced, opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Minato. "Besides, we won't be able to think properly if we're hungry."

Nodding, Ryoji decided to give in and have a small meal before they talked about what they should do.

"Dude, what's his problem?" Yosuke asked. "His friend was just offering a drink."

Kanji shrugged. "Mood swings?"

Seta let out a little laugh. "Like a girl."

The three of them were immediately slapped by Yukiko. "And what is THAT supposed to mean, huh?"

Ryoji and Minato finished their food considerably fast but, then again, they haven't exactly eaten in 3 years. Ryoji sipped his tea and looked at Minato. "Alright. What do you propose we should do?"

Minato, shoving is hands in his pockets shrugged his shoulders. "The only plan I could think of is to get everyone together again."

"I think that's our only hope." Ryoji started. He looked away sorrow stricken. "What if they can't summon persona anymore…?"

"Th-they can summon?" Teddie asked in astonishment.

"We already deduced that, stupid." Yosuke said frowning. "What we didn't know though, was that there were more people…"

Yukiko nodded. "I guess weird things happen outside of Inaba as well."

All attention was brought back to Rise as she let out a small pained cry. "Guys…the two of them…they are…incredibly s-strong." She closed her eyes. Being around those two was incredibly stressful on both her mind and her body.

Minato and Ryoji stood up. "So, we're going back home?" Ryoji asked, a smile playing on his lips. He hasn't seen Junpei in a while…and Yukari and Fuuka and especially Kirijo-senpai.

Minato gave his friend a look, knowing oh so well what he was thinking. "At least you're looking at things on the bright side…I guess…"

The truth seekers watched them silently and when they were sure that the two strangers wouldn't notice them stand up, they looked amongst themselves.

"Steak-out?" Chie said smiling, remembering their previous adventures of following people around.

Seta nodded. "Let's go."

The group followed them from a safe distance, going by pairs or trio's so that they wouldn't be noticed.

Minato put his earphones on out of habit. He knew it was impolite to listen to music when you were with somebody but he just couldn't resist. _Ryoji wouldn't mind _he reasoned.

Ryoji on the other hand didn't even notice Minato and his earphones dilemma. He was too engulfed in his own thoughts to actually notice.

Minato turned his mp3 on. He closed his eyes, letting the music soothe his mind. Like he said, a good leader needed to stay calm and music helped him do that.

"Where do you think they're going, senpai?" Asked Rise-chan who managed to get Seta as her partner. She locked their arms together and snuggled into her senapi's arm.

Seta, being used to Rise-chan's hugs, let her do so and shrugged. "Hopefully, we'll find out…and see whether they are friend or foe."

The two stopped a few yards behind Minato and Ryoji because aforementioned persons stopped dead in their tracks. Silently, Seta pulled Rise behind a nearby tree. He glanced behind to see the rest of the group do the same, too. Kanji, Naoto and Teddie behind them and on the side opposite him, Chie, Yukiko and Yosuke.

Seta smiled to himself. Their position was perfect. They could hear the two converse and not be easily spotted. He turned his attention back to Minato and Ryoji and listened.

"Minato-kun…"

Minato stopped and turned his mp3 player off. Something was bothering Ryoji. "What's up?" He asked quietly.

Ryoji, with his back facing Minato, clenched his fists at his sides. "Kill me…"

Minato frowned. "Ryoji, I---"

"I want you to kill me." repeated Ryoji. Though he didn't notice it himself, he was crying. "Please…I don't want you to have to go through with that again…" His nails were digging into his flesh and slowly, blood dripped from his hand to the ground. "Do it!!!" He screamed.

Minato looked away sadly. _How could he suggest that again…_

A small gasp escaped Chie's lips but Yosuke quickly placed his hand over her mouth. He made a disgusted face though, when he felt Chie's spit all over his hand. "Oh, gross!" He said in a whisper.

"Why would he want his friend to kill him?" Yukiko asked but only got a shrug as a reply.

Ryoji started sobbing violently. He couldn't control himself. He brought his fist to his face and, using the back of his hand, wiped his tears aggressively. "Do it…"

He didn't expect what was going to happen next. He thought he would hear a gunshot and shattering glass and feel the pain of being struck by a persona but no, that didn't come. Instead, he felt Minato's hand on his shoulder.

Minato turned him around so that they could look at each other eye to eye. Ryoji looked away. He couldn't look at his friend in the state he was at. He just couldn't. Then, he felt a pair of arms wrap around him and let out a small gasp.

"We've already been through this…" Minato said silently, rubbing comforting circles around Ryoji's back. "I don't want to kill you…" He whispered into Ryoji's ear. Ryoji shivered at his friend's warm breath on his ear but he sobbed even more into Minato's shoulder, staining it with tears.

They stayed like this for a while, Minato waiting for Ryoji's sobs to quiet down. When he did, he pulled away from Minato. "Thank you…" He said quietly, blush spreading across his face.

A small smile formed on Minato's lips. "But of course." Using his thumb, Minato rubbed the last of Ryoji's tears away. "We HAVE to save the world no matter what."

Seta assumed they were on the good side. He said that they had to save the world. Words of a friend, he supposed. He glanced at his group mates. "I think its safe to assume that they're on our side."

He earned a nod from Naoto and Yosuke. The rest of the group, however…

"Oh, geez! THAT WAS SO CUTE!!!" Whispered Chie rather loudly but earned a nod of agreement from both Rise and Yukiko.

Kanji looked away. He didn't feel too comfortable with two guys going all girly and hugging and Teddie, being the Teddie that he is, joked Kanji about it and Yosuke just couldn't help himself and joined Teddie.

Seta and Naoto shared same the same annoyed face. "Guys…" Naoto started but was interrupted by Seta who shushed the whole group.

"You'll need more persona users." Ryoji stated, sniffling and rubbed his nose. "Nyx is probably stronger than she was before. You'll need all the help you could get."

Minato nodded. "That means well have to patrol the city at dark hour to see who has the potential." He shuddered. "Dark hour IS back, right…?"

Ryoji nodded grimly. "I'm afraid so---"

"We'll help you!" Seta found himself saying, feeling utterly idiotic for revealing their hiding spot.

Yosuke slapped his face. "Seat, you're an idiot, you know that?"

Seta gave a sheepish grin. "Eh heh, sorry Yosuke." He turned back to Minato. "We can help you." He stated again.

Minato's face was stoic. He glanced at the Truth seekers then shook his head. "You're all too weak…" He said calmly.

Kanji's face turned red with anger. "You don't know who you're talkin' to, do ya?"

Minato shook his head. "No. No I don't."

That only pissed Kanji more. "You little----"

"Minato-kun…You're going to need all the help you can get." Ryoji stated again, a hand on his friends shoulder.

Minato looked away. "Tch…" He pondered for a moment. These guys were weak compared to him. They'd have no chance against Nyx.

"They can train in Tartarus." said Ryoji, trying to convince his friend.

Just then, Minato had an idea. "Alright, fine but on one condition…"

Seta nodded for his team. "What's the condition?"

Minato smiled. "Fight me." He had to test their skills and see if he's lost his touch too.

Ryoji's eyes went wide. "Minato, don—"

Minato shook his head. "We have to see if they can fight." Minato gripped his evoker, excitement running through his veins. Despite the fact that impending doom was drawing near he wanted to fight.

"Bring it on." Seta said, smiling himself.

Naoto stepped forward. "Alright but can we please fight somewhere else?"

Both leaders stopped. "Besides," Naoto continued, "We aren't exactly prepared."

Minato loosened his grip on his evoker and let go of it. He shoved his hands in his pockets then nodded. "We don't want to draw people's attention either."

Yosuke nodded. "Right. We'll prepare ourselves." He turned to Teddie. "Bring them to the other world. I'll get your things too."

Teddie nodded then gave Yosuke a salute. "Aye aye, Yosuke!!!" He turned to the two and smiled. "Follow Teddie!!!" He skipped merrily to Junes with Minato and Ryoji following.

* * *

**Aww, c'mon! Admit it! You wanna see the two leaders fight, right? well , i know i do XD  
**


	5. Chapter 3

"This place is odd, isn't it?" Ryoji stated, looking around and taking in every detail of this new place.

Minato shrugged. "Its atmosphere is somewhat comparable to Tartarus." He glanced around as well. "Quite interesting." He noticed a bear standing behind him so he turned around. "Who are you?" He asked.

"It's me!!! Teddie!!!" Teddie said smiling, shifting his weight from one leg to another.

Ryoji smiled. "That's an adorable costume you're wearing!" He raised an eyebrow though. "Why are you wearing that?"

Just then, screams echoed through the room and several bodies landed with a loud thud. Groans of pain came from the group.

"That's gotta hurt." Said Ryoji wincing. He was like a cat, he admitted to himself, seeing that he landed gracefully on two of his feet effortlessly just a few minutes ago.

Teddie smiled and did a little dance. "Everyone's here!"

"Shuddup, you dumb bear." Yosuke said pushing himself up from the floor. Everyone did the same and faced Minato and Ryoji.

Once everyone was up, they all prepared themselves. Well, mostly Minato and Seta but still...

"So, it's two on one? Isn't that unfair?" said Seta in a mocking tone, gripping his katana tightly in his hands.

Minato laughed. "No. It's a perfectly fair battle seeing as Ryoji doesn't fight." He pulled out his rapier which was skillfully hidden under his clothes. "But if you feel insecure," Minato added, a smile creeping up his face, "then I'll let you bring another party member to join you."

Yosuke grit his teeth. "You shouldn't underestimate your opponents, you know."

"F that! I'm sure senpai can defeat him hands down!!!" Kanji hollered pumping his fist in the air.

Minato told Ryoji to step out of the battle field and turned to the others. "We'll need rules."

Seta nodded. "How about no healing?" he suggested.

Minato nodded. "That seems fair…" He pondered for a moment then added "And no casting spells that increase your stats and decrease your opponents stats?"

"Seems fair enough." Seta said, nodding at Minato then at his group mates.

"Alright!!! Let the battle begin!!!" Screamed Teddie as he and the others exited the battle field and moved to somewhere safe.

Minato and Seta started their battle with a stare down. No one moved. They stared straight into each others eyes, just waiting for the other to attack. Finally, Seta let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and charged towards Minato, his two handed sword held tightly in his hands. He jumped up and swung downwards, hoping to fatally wound the other in one swift motion.

Minato held his ground and used his rapier to defend himself. Metal clashed against metal but unfortunately for Minato, a rapier was made for fencing rather a fight like this. His mind wandered off slightly, and he realized how skillful Mitsuru-senpai actually is with her rapier. He pushed forward, attempting to throw Seta off balance. He failed, mentally cursing his height, and his footing faltered.

As Minato took a few unbalanced steps backwards, Seta took the chance and slashed at his opponent, smiling when he actually hit him. His sword was considerably buried deep into Minato's now bleeding shoulder.

Minato let out a low, pained hiss. "Nice shot.." He complimented while keeping his pain hidden under a smile.

Seta smiled back. "Thanks."

Minato took in a quick breath and wrapped his free hand around the blade and pulled it out. He released his grip and Seta moved backwards into his ready position.

"That hurt." Minato admitted, getting into his fighting position as well.

Seta stuck his tongue out at him. "Of course but I'm surprised that you're still standing as if that gash was nothing but a mere flesh wound. I kill shadows in one shot like that…"

Minato shrugged, wincing slightly at the pain it caused. "It _**is**_ a flesh wound." He said smiling.

"What are those two doing?" Yosuke asked as the two leaders seemed to be just standing there, smirking like idiots.

Chie squinted. "Y'know… I think those two are just talking…"

"C'mon senpai! Pulverize that dude!!!" Kanji cheered.

The two heard the cheering and realized that they spent 5 minutes talking.

"Yes. We should continue with the fight." Minato nodded and so did Seta.

Seta dashed forward again, slicing downwards using gravity to his advantage. Minato sidestepped and dodged it and took this chance as Seta fell slightly forward. Minato swung his arm backwards and downwards, hitting Seta's back. He didn't inflict as much damage as Seta seeing as a rapier was made for pierce attacks but he managed to bruise and cut Seta's back.

Seta almost collapsed forwards after the blow but he dodge rolled to the side and regained his fighting stance. "Don't hold back on me!" He said, summoning a card into his hands.

Minato stared slightly in amazement as Seta destroyed the card and he heard the familiar sound of shattering glass and saw the all too familiar blue mist that surrounded the silver haired Persona user. The persona he summoned was Sraosha, a persona Minato was not acquainted with. The summoned persona casted Ziodyne on his master's opponent who absorbed the attack.

"What the?!"

Minato was so glad that the persona that was equipped was Thor, the god of thunder in Norse mythology. Minato smirked. "Now it's my turn."

He switched personas, opting to use Satan and Lucifer's fusion spell. He smiled. "I wonder if you'll be able to survive this…"

"He can win! He WILL win!!!" cheered Yukiko, who was at the edge of her seat.

Minato swiftly pulled out his evoker and pointed it at the temple of his hea---

"WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HE DOING?!?" Naoto screamed shock evident in her features.

Yosuke turned his attention from his leader to the blue haired person user who was about to summon---

"Shit! Seta! He's gonna kill himself!!!! Do something!!!" Yosuke screamed frantically. Sure, he wanted to kick this guy's ass but he didn't want him dead!

Seta looked at Minato who had a gun pressed against his head. "HEY!!" He ran towards the shorter one, hoping he'll be able to get the gun away from the suicidal teen. "WHAT ARE YOU DO----"

"Per…"

"…so…."

"…na!!!"

**BANG!!!!!!**

The shot was made and everyone covered their ears at the sound. Rise screamed and almost fainted if it weren't for Kanji who was helping her stay up on her feet.

"It's alright, Rise-chan!" Kanji exclaimed. "He's fine, see! Look!"

The poor girl was in a state of shock, she fainted.

The shattered crystals came falling from his head and soon, the figures of The Prince of Darkness and The fallen angel were seen and they performed their most powerful attack.

Seta's eyes went wide. There was no way he'd be able to dodge that attack! He blocked, hoping to at least not get to hurt.

Everything went bright for a few moments…

Silence…

Soon, the light disappeared and everyone turned their attentions to the leaders.

Seta stared into Minato's inquisitive gray orbs as Minato stared back, amazed he survived.

Seat brought a hand up to his mouth and started coughing up blood.

"SENPAI!!"

His coughs got slightly more violent and he fell on his knees. He knew he had lost.

Minato walked forward, the battle now over. He pulled his gun up to his head and casted Diarahan on his opponent. "Looks like I lost." Minato said, extending a hand for Seta to grab.

Seta stared at Minato in shock. "But I---"

"I used diarahan… That went against our rules…"

Seta smiled and grabbed the hand that helped him up. "You should heal yourself too."

Minato did so as the rest of the group ran to join them. Minato shoved his hands in his pockets and turned to Ryoji, shrugging. "I lost." He stated simply.

Ryoji smiled at him and nodded. "Yeah… You did." He turned to the others. "if you guys really are going to help us, are you willing to leave Inaba for a month or so?"

_"A Month?!"_

_"Leave Inaba?!"_

* * *

**03/31/2012— Saturday, Evening**

"Minato-san!!! You're sooo pretty!!!"

"I have to agree, Minato. You look oh so cute!"

"Tch. Shattap, Ryoji."

Minato was sitting there, pigtails binding his hair and clips pulling his bangs away from his face. He felt his eye twitch in slight irritation as Ryoji and Nanako went through all her clips and headbands happily. Everything seemed a tad bit brighter but he shrugged it off as his imagination.

"Oh!!!" exclaimed Nanako as she pulled something out. "This one, Ryoji-san!!!" She handed the item in her hands to Ryoji who happily accepted it.

"Oh!! You've got great eyes, Nanako-chan!"

Ryoji smiled widely as he pulled off the pigtails and replaced them with a sparkly pink headband. "You know, Minato" he started, "You should keep your hair away from your face more…" Ryoji smiled, pulling his hands away from Minato's head "because you look so cute!"

Minato felt his face go warm and looked away. He pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to calm himself down. It worked…barely.

Nanako squealed in delight, jumping up and down. "Oh! We should do Ryoji-san next!!"

Minato smiled. REVENGE…

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Seta was packing his things up. Dojima-san wasn't back from work yet but he was positive that his uncle would allow him to go.

He let out a sigh and collapsed onto the couch. He was still tired from the fight against Minato and both Minato and Ryoji told everyone that they had to get ready as soon as possible so, he and the rest of his group had no time to rest.

He closed his eyes, trying to relax.

_"Oh! Minato-san! This one's perfect!!!"_

_"Hmmm, you're right…"_

_"W-wait a sec, here!!!"_

_"Nanako-chan, I'll hold him down and you put it on him!"_

_"Wait, **WHAT**?!"_

_"Right, Minato-san!!!"_

There was a struggle heard downstairs and Seta couldn't help but smile. He had a feeling that they were going to get along great.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Dojima let out a sigh. Ever since the murderer was caught, Inaba went quiet. Don't misunderstand, though. He thought that it was great Adachi was caught and that his little girl is safe but the action is gone.

Pulling his house keys from his pocket, Dojima opened the door and closed it behind him. Slipping his feet out from his shoes, he walked into the living room and called out, "Nanako! Seta! I'm home!"

Now, what Dojima saw was something he wasn't expecting at all in his entire life.

Two boys, one holding the other back as Nanako applied make-up on him happily.

"Ryoji-san!!! Stop squirming!" She said in a way a mother would to her child. "You'll make me smudge your lipstick!"

"B-but, Nanako-chan!!!" The boy complained but was silenced by his friend holding him back.

"C'mon, Ryoji! Nanako-chan is doing a great job!!! Don't make her lose her concentration!"

"Who are you people?!" Dojima said finally, his cigarette falling onto the floor as he ran towards Nanako and hugged her in a defensive mode.

Nanako squirmed in her dad's arms. "Daaaad!!!" She exclaimed as she struggled out of her father's death hug. She escaped and approached Minato and Ryoji and smiled. "They're big bro's friends!!!"

Dojima let his defense down as he visibly relaxed. "oooh… I see." He said as he approached the three of them.

He inspected the two and noticed that they were wearing clips in their hair. He let out a sigh as he made his way to the couch. "Seriously, Nanako. Your big bro makes the weirdest friends."

Minato and Ryoji blushed as they quickly pulled the clips off and Ryoji wiped the make-up using the back of his hand. "Sorry for intruding, sir." He said apologetically as he and Minato bowed.

Dojima sighed. "Kids today…"

Seta descended the stairs and saw his uncle. "Ah! You're back home!"

Dojima acknowledged Seta's greeting and nodded. "So, who're your new friends?" He gestured at Minato and Ryoji who were now sitting on the floor as Nanako happily told them how cute they would look in dresses and make-up. "Not trouble makers, I hope?"

Seta shook his head. "No. They're my friends from before I came to Inaba." Seta lied. It was believable, right?

Dojima nodded. "I see…" He turned to Minato and Ryoji who instantly introduced themselves. "I'm Ryoji Mochizuki" He said then gestured at Minato "And my best friend, Minato Arisato."

Minato raised an eyebrow. "I thought that was Junpei?"

"You're both my best friends!" Ryoji stated happily and Minato just sighed.

"So, what brings you two here?" Dojima asked curiously.

Seta scratched the back of his head nervously but tried to hide it. "Uh, about that…"

* * *

**AN:**

**Hey guys!!**

**Since a LOT of people reviewed, faved and story alterted this fic, I'm continuing! Of course, I never gave up on it. I just got lazy :P like, seriously, I had this done months ago. I just didn't update. I'm sorry XD**

**Uhh, well... All i have to say is that I suck at writing fighting scenes XP**

** Type-o's and grammar no-no's, I apologize if there are any**

**...I still have no idea how this story is gonna end... oh well. I'll think of something sooner or later**

**Reviews are loved and they motivate me. More reviews=faster updates!!!**


	6. Chapter 4

The silence was heavy in the train on their way to Tatsumi Port Island, nothing but the sound of Minato's music was heard. It was either they were all too tired to talk or they were not quite sure it was such a bright idea to go somewhere with two complete strangers.

Naoto let out a sigh and decided to get some answers. "Ryoji-san, do you mind me asking what we're going up against?" she asked, catching everyone else's attention.

Ryoji tore his gaze from the waxing crescent moon that was barely visible in the twilight skyline and turned to the young girl. He pondered upon how he should explain that they were going to fight a Goddess that was here from the beginning and will be there at the end. "I doubt that any of you have encountered someone as fearsome or as powerful as her before…" he said, hoping he chose the right words.

"… A Goddess?" Yukiko asked, not quite sure if she heard that right.

Kanji joined in and said "Hey, wasn't that Izanami chick a Goddess too?"

Rise rolled her eyes. "Yes, Kanji. We had a discussion about her in our history class, remember?"

Kanji shrugged. "You know I don't listen to that kind stuff." He said, giving her a bored look which she replied with a glare.

Ryoji nodded in understanding. "Yes, I remember Izanami. Quite fearsome, wasn't she?" he asked, earning nods from the group. "I'm afraid that _SHE_ is stronger than Izanami…"

Yosuke sat up straight. "Alright, just give us a name!" he snapped. "Who is _she_?!"

Silence passed yet again but it was broken by ryoji's soft and hesitant voice. "…Nyx…"

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Seta opened his eyes slowly as he realized that he wasn't inside the train anymore. He scanned the room, finding the familiar host and his lovely assistant. "Welcome to the Velvet room" greeted Margaret.

Seta nodded and turned to Igor. "Usually, it's me who comes to visit rather you summoning me here" he stated as Igor nodded.

"Indeed, my boy!" He said, a smile on his face. "But it seems that you have stumbled upon yet another journey" He said in that creepy voice of his.

"I've noticed…"

Igor chuckled. "I wonder though, if you have noticed that you were in the presence of my former guest."

Seta looked at Igor dumbfounded as realization hit him. "He's… also a wild card…"

"Indeed…He was truly a marvelous guest. He was much more than I expected him to be." Igor said smiling.

"So…" Seta started, curious about the blue haired wild card "What did he do that was so amazing? Why is he so powerful?" He asked

Igor shook his head. "All in due time." He replied simply.

"Ohh…" Seta knew that there was no point in arguing with Igor. If he said it was going to happen, it usually did happen.

"Now, enough useless banter…" Igor looked from behind his folded hands perched upon his cane. "If you would please sign the contract, but of course you know what it says."

Seta nodded and picked up the pen. As he signed his name on the blank space provided, he noticed a signature neatly written above the space provided for his own. _Minato Arisato_ it read. He finished signing and put the pen down as the contract disappeared.

Igor chuckled. "Margaret, if you would please?"

Margaret nodded and gave Seta a key to the Velvet room. "You know when to use it." She said, smiling at him and he smiled back.

"Now, our beloved guest, it seems that you will be arriving at your designated destination soon so I mustn't keep you here any longer."

Seta's vision began to fade but he heard Igor say his farewells. "Until we meet again."

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

_"Iwatodai. Iwatodai, Tatsumi Port Island. This is our final destination for today. Please make sure that you have all your belongings…"_

Seta yawned and looked around him. His friends were already up and about, stretching and reaching for their things.

Minato looked at his watch. "We'd better hurry. We still have to find them."

Ryoji nodded as he helped Chie out with her things. "Yeah.." He handed Chie her bag and turned to everyone. "All set?"

The group nodded and they walked out of the train.

They made their way to the dorms, Minato hoping that they were still living there. Much to his dismay, the doors were locked and a sign that read "CLOSED" told him that obviously, they weren't there.

"They're not here…" Ryoji said. "How are we going to find them now?" He asked.

Minato looked around and recognized the old lady that lived across the dorm. "Excuse me!" He called, grabbing the old woman's attention. She turned around as Minato approached her.

"What is it, lad?" she asked.

He bowed politely then asked "Do you know where the students that used to live here are?"

The old lady placed a hand under her chin. "Ah! I remember!" she exclaimed, slamming her fist into her palm. "They moved to the new dorms on the other side of iwatodai! I miss those children though. They were always so polite, visiting an old lady like me… I remember that the little brunette boy even offered some---"

"Thank you, ma'am." Minato said, cutting her off. He remembered this old lady. She could talk on and on and on. He smiled at her, using his charm. "You've been very helpful." He said, bowing again.

The old lady smiled at him. "My! What a charming young lad! I remember there was one like you but I haven't been seeing him lately… Dear me, I've eaten up your time! And I bet that you have a young lady waiting for you too!" She patted Minato on the back and smiled. "Have a nice day, dear!" She called as Minato and the others walked away.

Minato sighed, letting his shoulders slump. He turned to Ryoji who was giggling along with the others. "She's a nice old lady, isn't she?" he said sincerely.

Ryoji let the last of his giggles out and sighed. "Yeah. At least now we know where we're going."

There it was. The dorm in which his best friends, family even, resided. He was excited to see them again but also disappointed because it was on such bad terms. He turned to the others. "This is the only other dorm in the city so I guess this is it." He said.

Ryoji nodded. "I wonder how everyone is! I'd bet Yukari-san is as pretty as ever!!!" Ryoji made his way to the door but Minato grabbed his scarf and pulled on it rather roughly.

"Please don't talk like that about my girl friend…" Minato said, a smile on his face but Ryoji could sense that he would be in trouble if he tried anything.

Laughing nervously, Ryoji answered. "I was just kidding."

Seta laughed and put a hand on Minato's shoulder. "I never knew you had a girlfriend!" He exclaimed.

"Yeah. I thought you were too emo to even think about girls." Kanji interjected.

Rise slapped his arm. "Kanji! That was rude!"

Minato sighed. He walked to the door, his heart palpitated as his hand wrapped around the door knob. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. He swung the door open.

"I'm home…"

* * *

**AN**

**I guess I've been procrastinating enough. Here is the latest chapter! Sorry that it's so short.. (and if there are any mistakes, SORRY!!!)**

**The next one.... I'm still in the progress of editing but here's a little sneak peak XD**

**just cuz I love you guys THAT**** much**

**PREVIEW!!!**

_"Why you?! W-why?!" Yukari cried, not wanting to lose him again._

_Ryoji looked away, sorrow evident in his voice. "Yukari-san, it…it's because he's the only one who can…"_

_"But…"_

_"Can someone please explain what's going on? Teddie can't keep up…" _

_Minato saw that it was his turn to take the stage. "Three years ago… I died…"_


	7. Chapter 5

_"I'm home…"_

Silence passed as the occupants of the dorm took their time to realize who it was at their front door. They stared at Minato in disbelief, wondering whether or not it was his ghost standing there, a hallucination or maybe… Just maybe, it was really him.

"M-minato…?" Yukari asked, wondering if this was a dream come true. "Are you really… here?" she approached him and now stood before him. The Truth Seekers were rather confused as to what was happening but they just assumed they haven't seen each other in a really long time.

Yukari's finger tips touched Minato's cheek and now she was positive she wasn't going crazy. "It really is you!!!" she screamed, flinging herself onto Minato. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, not wanting to let go as Minato hugged her back. "I missed you…" She whispered quietly, her head resting against his shoulder.

Junpei stood up, leaving his schoolwork on the table (very happy that he had a valid excuse to finish it some other time) and approached Ryoji who was there smiling at Minato and Yukari's little exchange. "Dude!!! You don't know how lonely I've been hitting on girls all by myself!!!" He exclaimed as he wrapped his arm around Ryoji's neck, trapping him in a headlock. Just as Yukari let go of Minato, he did the same as well.

"Ju-junpei!! C-can't breathe!!!" Ryoji stuttered, finding the lack of air very painful.

Minato struggled, attempting to release himself from his friends grasp.

Junpei bumped Minato and Ryoji's head together then let them go as both let out a pained yet and rubbed their aching heads. "You bastards had us all worried!" He said in mock anger and pouted at the two like a little kid.

Ryoji smiled. "So, how many girls have you gone out with, huh, Junpei?" He asked and the two soon began talking, well, Junpei did most of the talking as Minato remembered this wasn't exactly a joyous occasion. He turned around to find the Truth Seeker raising their eyebrows at him.

"Can we come in….?"

--

"Whadda ya mean Nyx is coming back?!" Junpei exclaimed as he stood up, glaring at Minato who had just informed them. "You mean to say all we did back then was for nothing?!"

Aigis stood up, glaring at Ryoji. "I knew you were no good!!!" she said, pointing a metallic finger at the poor boy. He didn't want to have to do this again. He looked away, his eyes filled with sorrow. "I'm… sorry Aigis-chan…"

Aigis realized that she had hurt his feelings even though three years ago she wanted to call him a friend. "Ryoji-san… I… I am sorry…" she apologized. Ryoji gave her a small smile showing that it was okay.

Yukari stood up, slamming her fist on the table. "So does that mean you're gonna have to face her alone again?!"

It didn't occur to Minato if that was indeed the case. What if it was Seta that would give up his life's essence instead of him? After all, he was a wild card too. He couldn't let that happen. He turned to Ryoji who seemed to be thinking the same thing. "I… don't know…" he admitted.

Yukari bit her lip and quivered. "I—I don't want to lose you again!!!"

Fuuka who has said nothing since this conversation, finally speaks her opinion. "Is Ryoji still the… Appraiser…?"

Ryoji's eyes shot wide. "…Could that be possible…?!" he asked Minato but the boy shrugged in response.

"Can someone please explain what's going on? Teddie can't keep up."

Yosuke nods. "Yeah. I don't get what you guys are talking about either… and I'm the brains of this group." He said jokingly in hopes of brightening up the situation.

Chie ,seeing what Yosuke was trying to do, tried to help. "Pshhh, as if, Yosuke!"

The look they were getting from Naoto clearly shows them that this was no time for such things. The two immediately apologized as Naoto turned to the blue haired boy. "Please, do explain."

Minato bit his lip and nodded. "Three years ago… I died…"

Silence passed.

Seta let the information sink in. He _died _three years ago? How it that even possible…?

"Y-y-y-you're a ghost?!" Kanji exclaimed, his eyes shooting wide open and Rise just shook her head in response… as did everyone.

Minato looked away, that comment not in the least amusing him. He stood up and all eyes turned to him. He didn't bother to look at anyone in the eye as he made his way to the door. He didn't even speak as he exited the dorm.

Ryoji didn't know where Minato was going but he thought that it would be best if he didn't go alone. "Minato-kun…!!" he followed him out the door, leaving a nervous tension in the air.

"What was… that all about…?" Yukiko asked, breaking the silence.

Fuuka shook her head. "I… I'm not entirely sure…"

Yukari was shivering and in a trembling voice, she spoke her mind. "So… he didn't just disappear… he really died…"

"Please explain… What happened three years ago…?" Seta asked, hoping to get a decent answer and not just an 'I died.'

---

Ryoji was fairly surprised when he exited the dorm seeing as Minato was nowhere in sight. He turned his head, left to right, hoping to catch a glimpse of the blue hair. He walked, letting his feet lead the way. For some reason, he knew his instincts would lead him to the right place.

---

"So, Ryoji-san is…. A shadow?" Seta asked and Yukari nodded.

Rise nodded in understanding. "No wonder I sensed something odd about him!"

Kanji let out a yawn. "I'm… getting kinda sleepy…" he said, yawning. "What time is it anyway?"

Yukiko glanced at a clock hanging on the wall. "…Nearly midnight…"

Fuuka's eyes go wide. "Guys! Do you think that---"

"---The Dark hour's back?!!" Junpei finished for her. "Shit!!"

"Dark hour? You mean that----"

Yukari shut whoever that was up. "Not now! We have to get ready!" she said, dashing up the stairs to get her equipment as did everyone else. "Ken, I'm leaving you temporarily in charge of these guys." She tells the boy and he nodded in response.

"I won't let you down, Yukari-san."

--

The truth seekers were finally prepared and soon, Ken came down the stairs with a spear in hand, a gun holster with his evoker inside wrapped around his waist and a dog at his side. "Let go." He said to the silver haired persona user.

"Are they really leaving a kid in charge of us?!" Kanji exclaimed, his weapon resting on his shoulders. "They're kidding right?"

Ken shook his head as the clock stroke midnight and soon everything was eerily green and the floors were stained with blood. "We have to move, now."

Ken walked out the door, Koro-chan by his side and the truth seekers had no choice but to follow.

---

"Ah! I found you!" Ryoji exclaimed as he found his friend at the shrine, gazing up into the sky. "Why did you leave…?" he asked as he sat next to him.

Minato shrugged. "I guess I just needed sometime to think…."

Ryoji frowned. "Have you thought of something? Midnight is just around the corner, you know…"

Minato nodded. "I know… and I have thought of something…."

* * *

**AN**

**here is the next chapter XP**

**hope you like it...**

**next chapter will be posted on... maybe 3 or 4 days from now? I can't be sure...**


	8. Chapter 6

**Note: While Yukari and the others were explaining the dark hour and stuff to the Truth seekers, this was happening.**

_Minato nodded. "I know… and I have thought of something…"_

Ryoji nodded. "That's good to hear." He took a glance at his wrist watch. It was nearly midnight.

Minato stood up and gestured for Ryoji to follow. They walked quickly, Minato heading for Paolownia mall. "Remember what Fuuka said?" he asked, as he began to run, not wanting to waste time.

Ryoji kept up, running by his friend's side and tried to breathe equal breaths which proved to be difficult seeing as he never trained like Minato did. He let out a huff and thought about it. What did Fuuka-chan say? He couldn't recall. So much has happened in one day. "Y-yeah??"

Minato saw the monorail and it was about to close. "Hurry!!!" he said, grabbing Ryoji's wrist and dragged him along. Surprisingly, this some how increased their speed despite the fact that the latter was practically being dragged across the floor. They managed to make it inside the monorail before its doors shut closed.

Minato stopped to catch his breath and leaned against the wall. Soon his breathing went back to normal and he took a seat, Ryoji following after him. "Do you remember?"

Ryoji wiped the sweat from his forehead and leaned against the chair. "I--- I'm not quite sure." He replied, finally giving up.

"She asked if you were still the appraiser." Minato finally said, leaning back against the chair as well.

Ryoji's face turned to that of confusion then to realization. "Yeah… What of it?" he asked, not liking the topic.

Minato shook his head. "That's just it! What if you aren't the appraiser anymore?"

"I don't know… If I'm not the appraiser, then who is?" he asked as he rested his head on Minato's shoulder, feeling slightly sleepy.

Minato was rather taken aback by Ryoji's actions but maintained his cool expression but he could swear his face was going warm despite the monorails air-conditioning. He cleared his throat and looked at another direction. "What if Nyx doesn't need an appraiser anymore? What if she'll just come when the time comes?"

"….."

"Ryoji…?"

"….Mhmm…?" was Ryoji's sleepy reply.

Minato looked at his friend (which was difficult, what with him resting on his shoulder) and gave a soft smile. "Were you even listening?" he asked, a laugh behind his voice.

Ryoji nodded slowly. "I was…" He let out a yawn. "I'm just kinda sleepy."

==========-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Minato found the alternate entrance to the velvet room and pulled the key out of his pocket. He unlocked the door and was greeted be the voices of the two velvet room assistants.

"Welcome to the Velvet room." They both greeted as Minato took his usual seat, Ryoji standing behind him. For some reason, Ryoji felt… welcomed here.

"My, it seems that you've brought a visitor!" Igor said as he spotted Ryoji. "I am Igor, the host of the velvet room."

Ryoji nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Igor-san." He said bowing. "I'm---"

"No need to introduce yourself." Igor interrupted, shuffling a deck of tarot cards that seemed to have appeared from nowhere. "I am quite aware of whom you are… Rather, what you are." He placed the tarot cards down in an arrangement. Flip, flip, flip. One after another, he placed them down.

Ryoji peered at the cards, as did Minato. They waited in silence until Igor finally put the deck of cards down. "Here, come closer." He gestured at the two and curiosity got the better of them.

"The three of wands in the upright position. This represents the past." He said, gazing at Minato. "You and your friends had to make a difficult decision and it seems that you have chosen the right path."

Minato nodded and so did Ryoji.

"This card, the three of swords, represents your current state of mind." He said, this time to Ryoji. "It is reversed, meaning to say that you are rather confused, aren't you?" he asked and Ryoji nodded.

"Then, you must know wha---"

Elizabeth brought a finger up and pressed it against her lips. "Please let Igor-sama finish." She explained and Minato nodded.

Igor flipped a card to reveal…

"Death…" Ryoji whispered silently.

Igor nodded. "Indeed. This represents the near future." He turned to both boys who had sad looks on their faces. "Why the gloomy faces?" he mused.

"Because death in the near future isn't something to be happy about." Minato whispered but of course, Igor heard this.

"My dear guest, the thirteenth arcane is in the upright position! No need to fret. It simply means that a great change is about to take place but it is up to you to write your destiny. Do not put your fate into the cards." He told them wisely.

"Then, do you know whether or not I am the appraiser? Does this mean that I am no longer the appraiser?!" Ryoji asked, hoping that this wasn't a lie or false hope.

Igor chuckled at the boy's excitement. "That very well maybe the case but, as I said, it is up to you to write your destiny."

"Well, that's better than a no." Minato said, smiling at Igor. "Thank you, Igor-san."

-==

The two slowly made their way to Gekkoukan high, both engulfed in their own thoughts.

"Minato-kun, do you really think that I'm no longer the appraiser?" Ryoji asked, as they turned a corner. They were nearly there now and it was almost midnight.

Minato shrugged. "Hopefully, you aren't." he replied, his music playing rather loudly but he wasn't wearing booth of them.

_I will burn my dread_

_I once ran away from the god of fear but he chained me to despair, yeah_

_Burn my dread_

_I'll break the chain and run till I see the sunli—_

Minto's music stopped and the moon turned from pearly white to an eerie shade of green that reflected off the distorted tower that began to form a few blocks from where they were.

"M-minato. I---!!"

Ryoji fell down and landed on the floor with a loud thud. He groaned out in pain as Minato came to his side as fast as humanely possible.

"Ryoji?! Ryoji?! Do you hear me?!"

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Ken walked down a familiar path and was now a few blocks away from Tartarus. "We're almost there." He said to the group of teens he was now apparently leading.

"Geez, kid, aren't you scared?" Chie asked, making sure that she was not even 1 foot away from the group. "I mean, there's blood everywhere!!!"

Ken shrugged. "I guess I kinda got used to it."

There was a crash heard, close to where they were and everyone screamed out in surprise… Except Seta, Naoto and surprisingly, Ken.

"I think it came from this way!" Ken said, running towards the source of the sound. Seta told his group to calm down and soon they followed after the boy.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Yukari and Junpei stood before Fuuka as she pulled the trigger or her evoker. "Mitsuru-senpai? Akihiko-senpai? Do you hear me?" she asked.

"Fuuka?! What's happening?!" Akihiko asked, his voice shaky. He was slightly panicking.

"We tried to contact you sooner but we couldn't reach you." She replied. "Minato came back."

This time, it was Mitsuru's voice that echoed in the lounge. "Arisato? He returned?!"

Fuuka nodded. "Yes, but at the moment, we don't know where he is." She explained.

Mitsuru nodded. "Alright. Please locate him as soon as possible and Akihiko and I will be there soon."

Fuuka nodded and broke of the connection with Mitsuru and Akihiko and soon began to search for Minato and the others. She let out a gasp a few minutes after. "I've located them!"

Yukari nodded. "Where are they?" she asked.

"Well, they found each other but… Ryoji is…"

"_Ryoji what? What happened to Ryoji?_" Junpei asked in concern.

* * *

**AN**

**I'm sorry its short again D:**

**But I wanted to make it a cliffhanger**

**SOOORRY!!!!**

**but I kinda want to see if anyone can guess whats happening**

**So, send what you think is gonna happen**

**and I will try harder to make the next chapter longer**

**Type-o's and grammar no-no's, I'm sorry if any**


	9. Chapter 7

**Okay. IDK if this is a longer chapter...**

**Sorry it took WEEKS to finish this**

**Uh yeah...**

**oh, a warning before you proceed. THERE IS SHOUNNEN-AI IN THIS CHAPTER but don't worry. No yaoi cuz I fail at that xD**

**Grammatical errors, if any, please do forgive me. a well as the type-o's**

**DISCLAIMER: NOT MINE**

**PS: Please send reviews! I love hearing what you guys have to say!**

* * *

_"Ryoji?! Ryoji, do you hear me?!"_ Minato asked desperately as he helped his friend into a sitting position.

The boy in his arms made a pained face and clutched the side of his head in pain. "M-minat-to-kun, I-I—ngh.." Ryoji passed out in his arms.

Minato cursed silently under his breath and attempted to stay perfectly still so as not to move Ryoji so much. "Is this because… of the dark hour?"

Ryoji shifted in his arms and soon, his eyes opened to reveal glowing golden eyes instead of the pale blue ones Minato has grown to love. Minato's train of thoughts sidetracked for a brief moment. _'Since when have I… loved the color of his eyes…?" _he asked himself silently. He realized that this person in his arms was not Ryoji but… Someone else.

He let go of Ryoji(?) and stood up quickly, his hand ready to pull out his evoker if needed. "Who—who are you?" he asked as Ryoji(?) stood up and brushed off the dirt from his pants.

The boy chuckled in a tone that sounded similar to Ryoji's voice aside from the fact that it sounded distorted. He walked towards Minato who took a few cautious steps back. "Am I the appraiser or aren't I?" Ryoji(?) asked. He kept walking forward and Minato kept walking back until his back finally hit the wall of a building. Minato gulped but kept his intense gaze on Ryoji's(?) eyes.

Ryoji(?) reached out and grabbed Minato by the collar of his shirt and shoved him against the wall, earning a pained yelp from Minato. _"Who indeed?"_ He asked before locking their lips together.

Minato's eyes went wide. Unconsciously, his hands wrapped themselves around Ryoji's(?) neck. _'Do I… seriously want this…?'_ he asked himself and slowly, his eyes flutter close as he parts his lips to let Ryoji(?) gain full access into his mouth. He pulled the boy closer, wanting to intensify the heat of their kiss. His tongue roamed around the warm cavern of Ryoji's(?) mouth, wanting nothing but for this moment to last for a bit longer.

Ryoji(?) smirked against this kiss, his hand now wrapping around Minato's neck. He pulled away from the kiss, a thin line of saliva being the only thing connecting their lips. Minato's face turned many shades of red and he was left gasping for air. "R-ryoji…?"

The golden eyed boy smirked and lifted Minato from the ground by his neck and let out a chuckle. "You fool. How much longer are you going to delude yourself?" he asked as Minato attempted to free himself from the others grip, his feet inches away from the ground. "How much longer are you going to let your emotions decide for you?"

Minato chocked as he tried to get air into his lungs. "Wh-what are y-you---"

Ryoji(?) let out a laugh and threw Minato across the road. "What am I talking about? HAH! You should know!" he shouted in a mocking tone.

Minato landed, scraping his arm against the road. He picked himself up and saw the blood trickle down his arm. He pulled out his sword and went to attack the Ryoji imposter.

Ryoji(?) stood there, taking no effort into dogging the attack because it never came. The tip of Minato's blade was against his neck and it didn't seem like anything was going to happen. "Well?" he mocked. "What are you waiting for?!"

The grip Minato had on his blade loosened. He trembled and tried his best to keep the sword steady in his hand. He bit his lip as confusion and fear flashed in his eyes.

Seeing the boy's hesitation, Ryoji(?) disarmed Minato and again grabbed him by the neck and flung him away as if he were nothing. "You had your chance!" he said loudly as Minato landed on a car, making a very loud crash.

He smiled "I was within your grasp! You could have killed me but you didn't!" his smile faded away as he slowly walked to where Minato landed. "Why do you insist on deluding yourself?"

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

_"I think it came from this way!" Ken said, running towards the source of the sound._

Seta nodded, telling his group to calm down and they followed their temporary leader.

"Do you think it's a shadow?" Yosuke asked as they turned a corner and into another street.

Seta shook his head. "We can't be sure." He answered and spoke louder for the rest of the group to hear. "Prepare yourselves! We might be in for a battle."

"Right, sensei!" Teddie said enthusiastically.

Soon, they found the source of the crash and their eyes went wide as they took in the scene. Minato had his back against the wall, clutching his bleeding arm. A few cut and bruises adorned his face as Ryoji(?) held his sword scarcely close to his face.

"Ryoji-san?! What are you doing?!" Ken asked as Koromaru growled.

Ryoji turned his attention from the bruised and beaten boy to the newcomers and a creepy smile crawled up his lips. "And what do we have here?" he asked and brought the blade up to his face and licked the blood off.

"What did you do to Ryoji-san?!" Chie asked as she prepared herself for battle, hopping from one leg to another as she usually does when it comes to a fight.

Seta pulled Rise away from the enemy's sight and made their way to the injured persona user. They knelt down, Rise elevating Minato's head in her arms. "Minato-san? Are you alright?" she asked as Seta pulled out an item and gave it to Minato. "What happened?" he asked.

The poor boy couldn't reply and he soon found himself drifting into unconsciousness.

Ryoji(?) chuckled as wings, black feathers and all, sprouted from his back. "The human race is so pitiful! Greed, pride, sloth, tch! It sickens me!" he spat out, running a hand through his tangled locks.

Ken let out a gasp, the dark feathers bringing him back to the last battle he had. "No, it can't be…?!" He gulped, knowing that even if this was Ryoji-san, he still had to fight. He pulled out his evoker and summoned Kala-nemi, a cool, blue mist surrounding his body. Kala-nemi used ziodyne on Ryoji(?) knocking him slightly off balance.

Ryoji(?) regained his posture and laughed. "Try if you must but it shall be futile!"

Kanji ran towards Ryoji(?) in an attempt to attack him. He managed to hit him but it would take a lot more to defeat him. "Rokuten Maou!!!" he called but… nothing happened. Kanji's eyes widened "What the?!"

"Kanji-kun, watch out!!!" Naoto screamed as she tackled Kanji away from Ryoji's(?) on coming sword. Unfortunately, she received a cut on her leg and it began to bleed. She and Kanji landed on the ground with a loud thud. "A-are you alright, Kanji-kun?" she asked, ignoring the pain she felt.

"Y-you idiot! Of course I'm fine but what about you?!" he asked worriedly as he rummaged through his pockets for items that may help her wound.

Yosuke attacked Ryoji(?), managing to cut him from his shoulder downwards but it wasn't deep enough. He jumped back, avoiding Ryoji's(?) sword before it could touch him. "Guys, this seriously isn't good!!!" he shouted at the others.

Yukiko closed her eyes and let out slow and even breaths. "Alright, concentrate…" She continued with her equal breathing for a few more seconds and still, nothing happened. She let out a gasp and turned to the others. "G-guys! I can't summon my persona!"

Chie gulped. "N-neither can I!!!"

"Shit! We're in deep shit!" Yosuke cried out as Ken dodged one of Ryoji's(?) attacks.

_"Hello? Can you hear me??"_ a voice echoed through the cool air.

Rise looked up, seemingly the only one who heard it. "Fuuka-san? Is that you?"

Seta raised an eyebrow. "Rise-chan? Are you alright?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

_"I'm so glad I managed to get a hold of you! Please, tell me what's going on. I sensed a really powerful shadow!"_

Rise nodded. "Yeah. Something happened to Ryoji-san!" she replied as Minato slowly regained consciousness in her arms.

_"What of Minato-kun?"_

"He was badly injured. Please, come quickly! For some reason, the others aren't able to summon their persona! And I don't think I can summon mine either!" she said and let out a small scream as Teddie came flying through the air and landing right on top of Seta.

"Gnnh… Owwie. That hurt." Teddie said, pulling himself up and shaking his head. He turned around and helped Seta on his feet. "Sorry, sensei." He apologized and went back to attack again.

_"Rise-san. Listen very closely. I want you to concentrate. I want you to send a healing wave. It doesn't have to be that powerful. We're almost there!"_

Rise sniffled. "Bu-but! I- I don't think I can!!!" she cried, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She's never felt so useless before in battle.

_"Please! Just try!!!"_

Rise closed her eyes, putting all her concentration into summoning Kanzeon. She opened her eyes and surprised Seta because they seemed to be glowing. The shattering of glass was heard and she was surrounded in the cool blue mist. Her persona was before her and soon it sent out a healing wave just as quickly as it happened, her eyes stopped glowing and her persona disappeared. "W-whoa. That was strange…"

Seta knelt next to her as she wobbled slightly. "Are you okay?" he asked, earning a nod from his kohai. He smiled and let out a relived sigh. He snapped his head downwards when he felt something tugging at his sleeve. "Minato-san?"

Minato pulled out his evoker from its holster and shoved it into Seta's hands. "You've seen me use it…" he said before closing his eyes yet again to rest.

Seta stood up, knowing what to do. He gulped. Shooting yourself in the head was not a simple thing to do, you know, so it was only natural that he hesitated. He pressed the tip of the evoker against the temple of his head and slowly, he pulled the trigger.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Mitsuru and the others finally found the truth seekers who were still in battle with Ryoji or whoever it was. "Are you alright?" Mitsuru asked Naoto who was next to Rise. Seta told her to take a break seeing as she's run out of bullets and she was somewhat badly injured.

"Not exactly." She replied. "We can't seem to summon our persona."

Mitsuru nodded and turned to Fuuka. "Yamagishi, take over her position." She turned to Rise. "Please tend to those who are in need of assistance."

"Everybody! Fall back! We'll take it from here!!!"

The truth seekers turned their attention to the backup that has finally arrived. Fighting without their persona was extremely exhausting. Without a single word, they let their senpai's take over.

Yosuke fell on his knees, sweat trailing down his face. "Thank god! I thought I was gonna collapse!!!" he said, sitting next to Naoto who had Minato in her arms. Rise handed him an item and he used is on everybody who now were panting and extremely tired.

Mitsuru ran forward, Akihiko at her side. Shadows lurked out of the darkness and lunged towards them. Mitsuru and Akihiko fell back, allowing Yukari, Aigis and Junpei to take down the shadows. "Senpai, go!" Yukari screamed. "We'll take down the little ones!" Junpei finished for her.

The two nodded at each other and ran towards Ryoji(?). "Yamagishi!!! Please scan the target!"

"Alright, got it."

A few minutes later, Fuuka called her senpai's. "He has no known weakness but he's almost out of health! I know you can beat him!"

Mitsuru nodded and grabbed her evoker, quickly pressing it against her head and pulled the trigger. She used bufudyne, freezing Ryoji's(?) lower half to the ground. "Akihiko! NOW!!!"

Akihiko pulled out his evoker as well and summoned his persona. He casted ziodyne, sending Ryoji(?) falling flat on his back. "I've been waiting for this!!" he said as Mitsuru along with Junpei, Aigis and Yukari running to his side. He gave them a brief glance and ran forward. "OKAY! NOW!!!"

"WOOHOO!! GO SENPAI!!!" Chie screamed as a cloud of smoke rose up, preventing them from seeing who was winning. Every now and then, someone would fly out and land on their backs but they'd just get back up and run into the fight again.

The smoke settled down and everyone was at the edge of their seats (if they had seats). Ryoji(?) let out a pained cry and fell on his knees, obviously defeated.

The truth seekers stood up, Seta and Rise helping Minato back up on his feet, and walked towards the former SEES.

"Alright, who are you?" Junpei asked as Ryoji(?) stood back up to dust himself off. "What have you done to Ryoji?"

The shadow chuckled. "What do you mean? I did nothing to the boy."

"Quit shitting around! Who are you?!" Kanji shouted at the unflinching shadow who merely shrugged. "I'm so gonna beat the shit outta yo—"

"Whoa, Kanji! Chill!" Yosuke said, pulling his taller kohai back, preventing him from turning Ryoji(?) into a bloody pulp.

Minato pulled away from Seta and Rise, giving them a look that said he'd be okay. They were hesitant but let he be nonetheless.

He stood in front of his friends form, yellow inquisitive eyes watching his every move. He let out a chuckle. "I can't believe I didn't notice this before."

"Arisato? What do you mean?"

"Everything you said is true, heh. The human race is pretty pathetic huh…" Minato said, averting his gaze from those gold orbs and clenched his fists at his sides. "Greed, pride, sloth heck, even lust. It really sickens me."

"Minato-kun…."

He looked back at Ryoji(?). "But that is why I fight… Why we fight. We can't just leave the world as it is!!!" he said loudly which slightly made the others flinch. Minato never shouted like that… Ever. Heck, he barely spoke at times.

"I know who you are… **You're me**."


	10. Chapter 8

"I know who you are....** You're me.**"

Everyone was taken aback.

Seta was surprised. This was Minato-san hidden side? His dislike for humanity? Though, dislike was an understatement. He practically spat out how pathetic the human race was and it was disturbing. Such a quiet and cool guy thinking of things such as that almost made him puke. It really threw him off. "M-minato-san.... So this is.... your other self?" he questioned.

Minato nodded slightly. "Y-yeah... I suppose..."

Ryoji(?) nodded. "You've accepted me, therefore you have have accepted yourself." he explained and soon a black mist surrounded him and vanished just as quickly leaving the real Ryoji confused, tired and really confused that I had to say this twice.

He blinked his blue eyes only to witness his blue haired friend fall to the ground. "Wh-what happened?"

He took a step forward only to be stopped by his mirror image. "The end is near." it explained. "Will you be able to prevent it from happening?"

Ryoji stared back at golden orbs and nodded. "I'll never give up... If there is a possible way for us to prevent the fall, we'll take it." he said nodding and his shadow smiled.

"Such a cocky attitude... Perhaps it isn't all too bad being you..." it chucked and surprised everyone by becoming a persona... The persona also known as death, Thanatos. "I'll help you with your quest but one false move and I shall take over your body." and with that, he faded away with Ryoji staring at shock as a card appeared in his hand.

Yukari was helping Minato up with the help of Junpei and she asked Ryoji as calmly as she possibly could. "What is that?"

Seta looked at the card in Ryoji's hand and was shocked. "Thats a persona? Why are you able to summon the card...? Why don't you need this?" He asked as he held the evoker in his hands.

"I'm sure that there is a lot going on through your minds. Perhaps we should call it a day and discuss things tomorrow." Mitsuru said, placing a hand on Seta's shoulder. The Silver haired teen nodded and handed Mitsuru Minato's evoker.

"You guys were pretty good out there." Said Akihiko as they made their way to the dorm. "Fighting without evokers. You guys are nuts." he said chuckling.

"Of course we are!!!" Kanji said happily.

"Akihiko, you should know that you should never judge appearances." Mitsuru said and Akihiko gave another chuckle but all heads turned as they heard a gasp of realization from Chie.

"W-wait! You're Akihiko Sanada?!" She asked, running up to the boxers side.

He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? What of it?" He asked as she jumped um and down happily. After a few minutes of 'oh my gosh'es, Chie flung herself onto Akihiko, throwing herself and her senpai to the floor with a loud and painful thud.

"HOMIGOSH! YOU'RE AKIHIKO SANADA!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING!!! CAN I HAVE YOUR AUTOGRAPH?!?!?!" she screamed into the ppor boy's ears.

"whoa whoa whoa. Since when have I been famous?" He asked as he pushed himself up and Chie got off of him and helped him up. He looked at Junpei who shrugged in response and continued walking back to the dorms.

* * *

**an**

**sorry guys... this is kinda a filler chapter TT^TT**

**my head is actually throbbing**

**you'll notice that there are a lot of errors. sorry about those **

happy new year!


	11. Chapter 9

**This cannot be!!! But it is!!! An update!!! FINALLY!!! An update!!!! O:**

**anyway, the story isn't progressing much but, yay! summer!! Summer = more writing time!!! (hopefully TT^TT)**

**

* * *

**

The next morning, Seta woke up to the smell of food being cooked and felt his stomach rumble. He sat up and pushed Yosuke's arm off of himself, in the process waking up his friend as well. Due to the lack of rooms in the dorm they were currently staying in, they had to share rooms and Yosuke still honestly did NOT trust Kanji and his sexuality so he decided to share a bed with his best friend and let the dumb bear live his fate.

"Hnnn, something smells good…." Yosuke said smiling, sitting up and rubbing his eyes as Seta got out of bed and stretched. His smile faltered when a thought passed through his head. "This isn't a dream, is it? Or did I actually die yesterday?" he asked as he jumped out of bed.

Seta raised an eyebrow. "Uhh, What?"

"That can't be Chie cooking… right?" he said, fear flashing in his eyes.

Seta shook his head. "Most likely, and I hope, NOT."

The two exited their room without bothering to change and knocked on their friends doors. "Yo, Kanji, Teddie, get up." Yosuke said, knocking on their door. He was replied to with a "Five more minutes, Yosuke!!" and a grumpy "Leave me the hell alone."

He shrugged and gestured for Seta to follow him downstairs. They were greeted by both Chie and Yukiko and they all headed for the dorm's lounge.

"Where's Rise-chan?" Seta asked as Yosuke yawned. Yukiko gave a little shrug. "I guess last night really tired her out. Let her have more sleep, alright?" and Seta nodded.

"Well, Akihiko… I suppose this is the life a bachelor lives." Mitsuru said as she watched with fascination and amusement as Akihiko prepared breakfast (or brunch, whatever the hell is more appropriate) with the help of Ken, Yukari and Fuuka (they only let her cut the vegetables though).

Akihiko scoffed. "Well, at least I CAN cook." He said in a matter of fact tone and Fuuka looked up with a frown on her face.

"I—I'm trying…" she said quietly and went back to chopping the vegetables and Akihiko immediately apologized and told her that he was talking about Mitsuru and the red head couldn't stop herself from chuckling.

Chie bounced towards the kitchen with a smile on her face and couldn't help but squeal in delight. "I can't believe that Sanada-san can actually cook! I'm soooooo telling the fanclub about this!!!" she said as she took a seat next to Mitsuru.

Akihiko frowned as he went back to his cooking and mumbled a few things to himself, such as "Since when have I had a fanclub?"

The three joined their friend at the table; Seta offered some help with the cooking and went to work.

"Well, I guess we can discuss things now, right?" Yosuke asked, unsure of his words as he spoke to the intimidating Mitsuru.

She turned to him and nodded. "I suppose, but don't you think everyone should be here?" she asked but Yosuke shook his head. "It's alright. I'm the brains of the group anyway." He said and Yukiko laughed, telling Yosuke that was the funniest thing she's heard in a while, and Chie giggled alongside her.

"What are the evokers for? Do we necessarily need them to summon our personae?" Yosuke asked. "We didn't use evokers in the other world we fought shadows in."

Mitsuru took this in mind. "I suppose so. Were you able to summon your personae through whatever methods you used in the past?" she questioned and Yosuke shook his head. "Only Amada-kun could and he was using the evoker."

"Well, I'm not sure myself… but perhaps you could use your old method. I knew of a person who summoned without an evoker but as I said, I'm not sure. This person I'm talking about used to take a special drug…"

Yosuke mentally raised his hand and mentally slapped himself for being so lame. "So, suppose we take this drug---"

"NO." Akihiko interrupted as he placed a steaming hot plate of fried rice in front of Yosuke and Mitsuru and glared. "Just, NO." he repeated and went back to preparing the rest of the food.

Yukiko raised an eyebrow. "What was that about?"

Mitsuru frowned slightly and sighed. "We had a friend who used to take those pills… Little did we know they were slowly killing him…"

"Oh…" Chie said quietly.

"Okay, drugs are out of the question then…" Yosuke said quietly. "So, using the evoker is the only method?"

"We'll see. Let's train later tonight and see if you can summon without them." Mitsuru pulled out her phone and called the kirijo groups head scientist and asked for him to make several more evokers. The man said yes with no questions asked.

"So, how exactly do we fight this Nyx?" Yukiko asked as Seta placed a huge bowl of Miso soup on the table and went back to helping.

"Ah, yes. We have to climb up this retched tower called 'Tartarus'" she explained. Seta raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that somewhat ironic?" he asked.

Yosuke gave him a look and Mitsuru chuckled. "I suppose it is."

Chie looked at Seta and raised he eyebrow. "How is it ironic?"

"Tartarus is a place lower than that of the underworld in Greek mythology." Seta explained as he and Yukari brought the remaining dishes to the table. "Going up 'Tartarus' would be ironic, don't you think?"

Yukari scoffed at something she remembered. "At least you know more than a certain someone I know." She said, referring to Junpei and his toothpaste joke.

Junpei and Naoto came down just in time to eat. They took their seats and joined in the conversation.

"Maaaaan, Akihiko-senpai! I didn't know you cook!" he said in a somewhat mocking tone and grinned at his senpai. Akihiko groaned. "No wonder Shinji never cooked when you guys were around…"

"Shinjiro-senpai could cook?!" Fuuka gasped and a little bit of her died on the inside. Shinjiro was BADASS and could cook?! She was disappointed that she couldn't get to know more about her dream man…

Mitsuru laughed. "Yes, he did but I see Akihiko picked up some tricks from him, yes?" she said and earned a nod from Akihiko.

"I hate to interrupt but I think it'd be best if we trained. I'm pretty sure we could use it." Naoto said, taking a mouthful of soup.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Akihiko nodded.

"But, who will be the leader? Usually its Minato-kun but I don't think he's going to have the energy anytime soon… he was a sleepy person to begin with." Yukari said smiling, remembering all those times when she'd find Minato sleeping in the oddest places.

"And I don't think any of the others could… They haven't been in Tartarus and it'd be bad if they stumbled upon the reaper…" Fuuka added and shuddered at the thought of death.

Junpei chocked on his food and Naoto slapped him on the back to get him breathing again. She handed him a glass of water and he gulped it down and thanked her. He turned to the others and raised his hand in the air, waving it back and forth. "Mitsuru-senpai! Me! I can be the leader!!!" he said excitedly.

Yukari rolled her eyes, Ken chuckled and Akihiko groaned but Mitsuru smiled. "Alright. Junpei, you can be the leader for now."

Junpei jumped up and down, punching his fists in the air. "Awesome!!!"

This time, it was Yukari's turn to choke on her food. "M-Mitsuru-senpai?! You can't be serious!?!"

She shook her head. "Junpei would make an excellent leader, aside from his cocky attitude. When I look back, he had the most reasonable answer when we were stuck at the abyss of time."

"…oh yeah…"


	12. Chapter 10

Junpei grinned widely as he skipped up the stairs to Minato's room. He wanted to share the news of him being appointed as temporary leader to his best friend. He knocked on the door lightly and smirked when a groan was heard from the other room and he almost kicked the door open. "Morning, Minato!" Upon seeing the other form sleeping beside him, he added "You too, Ryoji!"

Minato grumbled and hid under the sheets, not in the mood to wake up just yet but he didn't want to seem rude so he replied. "Hnnnghh,mmornin'."

His companion seemed more lively than him as he got out of bed and smiled widely at Junpei. "Morning, Junpei! What bring you up here?" he asked, ruffling his messed up hair as he glanced in the mirror. He had a few bruises and cuts from yesterday and he knew that they would sting for a while and he couldn't help but flinch at his own image.

Junpei laughed and closed the door behind him. He sat at the corner of Minato's bed. Said boy groaned once more and Junpei thought he seemed like a drunk with a hangover and it was amusing seeing his friend like this. He turned his attention back to Ryoji. "C'mon, man. You're still as pretty as ever even with those scars! Heck, I bet the girls think its hot!"

Ryoji grinned from ear to ear. "Pff, thanks Junpei."

"Anyway, I'd like to make an announcement!" He said and jumped up and down on the bed, causing Minato to groan and throw a pillow at his direction. Junpei lost his balance slightly and stopped jumping. "Dudes! I'm leader!" he cheered.

Minato sat up and stared at Junpei, the look on his face was blank. "That's great, man." He said sincerely. "But sleep time now. Sleep timeNOW." And with that, he promptly fell back into his pillows and instantly fell asleep.

* * *

Ryoji, in all honesty, had no experience fighting. He wondered if he'd be a good fighter or maybe a better healer as they made their way to Tartarus. He had been given his own evoker and a one handed sword and he was feeling both anxiety and excitement as the passed those eerily decorated doors to the entrance.

"D'ya think we have to fight our way back up or do we get a freebie and just use the transporter?" Junpei asked as he approached said device. He took in a deep breath, hoping it would work. When it didn't glow or deliver them to where they wanted to be. "Aw man, guess we're going the hard way."

Misuru nodded seriously. "It's alright Junpei. Go on and start climbing. The sooner we get to the top, the better." She told him.

"Alright, senpai! I won't let you down!" He took Ken, Koromaru and Akihiko with him and they entered the second floor of the dreaded tower. He gave one more smile before the doors could close behind him.

"So, while we're here… what are we supposed ta do?" Kanji asked, scratching the back of his head.

Mitsuru gave him a smile. "Well, we'll see if you're able to summon through our methods." She crossed her arms across her chest and nodded her head once at them. "Yukari and I will help you until you get accustomed to using the evoker so who's willing to go first?"

They exchanged nervous glances at one another before Yosuke spoke up. "Uhm, I d-don't know about this…"

Yukari smiled at him encouragingly. "Its okay, Yosuke-kun. It's always really scary the first time. I know you can do it."

Yosuke could feel his cheeks growing warm after hearing those words. Yukari reminded him of Saki senpai and his heart did little flips and he nodded, putting on a brave face to impress the older girl. He was hoping the feeling in his chest wasn't what he thought it was but instead anxiety. He gulped and pressed the gun against his temple. "O-okay. I can do this." He whispered to himself. He took a deep breath and pulled the trigger.

He found his persona staring back at him, waiting for his master to order him. Yosuke could hear his _other self's _voice in his head taunting him. He gripped the evoker tighter, time seemingly slowing down as he spoke to the shadow Yosuke in his head.

"_Happy to be fighting again, I see?" _Said his shadow. _"And seems to me like you've found a new love interest." _

Yosuke could feel his cheeks flush and he glared at his persona and replied in his head. "I'm happy to be fighting again but…"

His persona let out a cry as a dark glow began to surround it slowly. _"Watch it buddy. You already know what'll happen if you keep turning to the lies."_

"Is something the matter, Yosuke-kun?" Yukari asked concerned. She approached him and placed her hands on his shoulders from behind and gave a comforting squeeze.

Yosuke blushed at the touch, though he knew she was just being encouraging. He replied in his head again. "I kn-know! I know! You don't have to remind me!" His face became red as he added. "S-so maybe I do like her! But I can't make a move on her, of course! She's apparently taken…"

His shadow chuckled as his persona was dismissed but he could still hear his taunting voice. _"Hehehe, inner turmoil will arise from these hidden feelings. Know this. You never know when I'll be back."_

Though it was supposed to sound like a threat, it sounded more like a warning in his head. He wondered if his shadow actually grew to like him. He collapsed to the floor, hands shaking as he pushed himself up. "Hah, hah.. What an experience…" He muttered.

Ryoji watched as the others helped their friend up but something caught his eye. He turned to look at a blue coloured door and he wondered if inside he would meet the attendants of the velvet room. He approached it and turned the knob and frowned slightly when it didn't budge. He let out a sigh of disappointment. He went back to the others; it was his turn to try out his evoker.

* * *

Minato yawned and sat up, stretching his arms as he did so. That nap had been one of the best naps of his entire life! His particularly good mood died when he notice the eerie green lights flooding into his bedroom. He got up and walked to the window, pulling aside the curtains to get a better look of the scarily beautiful moon. As he contemplated his situation, he noticed a note stuck onto his door. Moving away from the window, he plucked the note off the door and read it.

"_Minato-kun,_

_ We're off to Tartarus. I was going to wake you up but the others said to let you rest more. I suppose their right. Anyway, I think there's food in the kitchen but I don't know if food is still edible during the dark hour. If not, I guess you're going to have to wait for the night to end before you can eat. Haha. Good luck handling your black hole of a stomach :D_

_Much love,_

_Ryoji~_

Minato grumbled. Damn right he was hungry but curse Dark Hour. He sighed and changed into decent clothes before making his way out to Palounia mall. Dark hour be damned, he'd wait for 1 AM if he had to if it meant he'd get food.

He walked, hands in his pockets and he shivered slightly. It was colder than he remembered it to be but he shrugged it off and sat by the fountain. He stared at the water that was instead blood as it continued to slow out the spout of the fountain in morbid awe. He suddenly remembered his date with Elizabeth years ago and smiled, gripping the key in his pocket. He walked to the Velvet room and entered.

"Minato-kun! Greetings, what brings you here?" Elizabeth asked. "Though I have to say, I missed you."

Minato smiled. "I missed you too.."

Elizabeth smiled again and asked her master for permission to speak to Minato. She was granted permission and she approached the boy, giving him a death hug. She let him go when he started turning slightly blue. "There is something I have to tell you, Minato-kun."

The boy rubbed his arm and smiled at her. "Business matters, I suppose?"

She nodded. "Yes. As you know, climbing Tartarus has always been a taxing job for you and your friends. Though now you have more people to accompany you up the tower, it shall still be a difficult task."

"I know… Hopefully, we'll get to the top before she comes. We did it once before and I think we can do it again." He replied.

She nodded. "But of course. I would never doubt your strength Minato-kun! Its just that the blocks of Tartarus may or may not be blocked such as before."

Minato slapped his forehead in realization. "Shit! How are we supposed to get to the top before the full moon! Who knows when she'll come? We have to be prepared by then but- no! Shit, not now!" This was one of the many rare occasions wherein Minato swore.

Elizabeth watched him bemusedly as he paced. He stopped him before he could burn a hole in the floor and chuckled. "This is precisely what I wanted to talk to you about!"

He stopped. "Okay, I'm listening."

"Well you see, Minato-kun, if you accomplish one request for me I will be able to provide you with something that may be of help." She pulled out an orb from her pocket and dangled it before his face. "This is the _Omnipotent Orb. _Not only will it help you with battles but it also serves as a key to unblock any path that needs unblocking. I'm sure it will be of great use to you."

Minato eyed the orb. "What do you want me to do?"

She pocketed the orb and smiled once again. "Simple. You have to defeat the ultimate opponent." She replied.

He nodded in understanding. "Where do I find this ultimate opponent?"

Her smile grew wider. "At the base of Tartarus, there is a new door. Behind the door is what we call the _Monad Depths_."

"Monad… Depths?"

She nodded and went back to her position. "Yes. You will find your opponent at the last floor."

"And what do I have to bring back to show as proof?" he asked.

She giggled. "Oh, no need to worry about that. I will know for certain if you really have defeated your opponent."

"Alright, thank you Elizabeth." He bowed politely. "And good bye, Igor-san."

* * *

**Author's note:**

**Happy new years, guys! I'm ever so sorry for taking forever to update. Please forgive this pitiable author :o**


	13. Chapter 11

Minato stared at the ominous looking door warily. There was something about it that made a cold sweat run down his back but he constantly reminded himself that he needed to do this. For several days, he'd been training in the monad depths without telling anyone. He was glad that everyone else was too preoccupied with climbing up Tartarus that they barely noticed his absence. It was risky going alone but going alone meant he'd het stronger faster. He pushed the doors open.

"Senpai…"

Minato turned around to look at Naoko. He raised he eyebrow at her. "What is it?" he asked.

She adjusted her hat and looked him in the eye. "Climbing up Tartarus is taking longer than I expected it to be" she said, a small frown on her face.

He scratched the back of his head. "Yes, well, Akihiko-senpai says that everyone should be ready before we get a chance to battle Nyx. That's why Junpei's been bringing you guys along so you can train" he replied.

The girl nodded. "I know that but why can't we have tow leaders. One who will climb up the tower while the other trains the rest of us. Wouldn't it be faster if we did that?"

Minato nodded. It made sense. "That's true. . . You should tell Mitsuru-senpai. I'm sure she'll be more than happy to train you while Junpei leads the others."

Her frown grew. "No."

"No…?"

She sighed in aggravation. "Why won't you take your previous position as leader? You're powerful and capable of many things! We'd be able to reach the top faster!" she said.

Minato placed a hand on her shoulder. "I trust Junpei. I'm sure he'll get to the top in time. If not, faster. His dedication is stronger that you'd think it'd be."

She brushed his hand off. "That's not the point. I know that Junpei-san is a great leader but he's an even better trainer. He's patient with us even when we're several levels weaker than he is but if we continue at this rate, there might not be enough time!"

Minato nodded. "And that is why you should tell Mitsuru-senpai about the two leaders idea." With that, he turned around to enter the monad depths.

The girl clenched her fists tightly before deciding to follow Minato into the curious doors.

* * *

Seta looked around. "Hey, have any of you guys seen Naoko and Minato-senpai?" he asked, noticing the missing members.

"Wait, let me look for them…" Fuuka closed her eyes and summoned Hera to scan around. A few minutes of silent searching, her eye finally opened. "They're… Inside here… Somewhere…"

Mitsuru frowned. "Did they climb up Tartarus by themselves? That was a rather careless move for Minato."

Fuuka shook her head. "They didn't go up… They went down!"

A shocked look crossed everyone's faces. "Down?" Akihiko shook his head. "How..?"

Kanji explored around the first floor until he found a door he's never noticed before. "D'ya think they went in there?" he asked, pointing at the door.

Yukari followed Kanji's voice and she gasped. "Th-that wasn't there before!" She exclaimed.

"Wait! I found them! They're six floors down and I think Naoko has lost consciousness!" Fuuka said worriedly. "I can bring her back!"

"Then we have to go after her!" Chie said, carelessly running into the doors. Before she could enter, Akihiko stopped her.

"Wait, don't act so carelessly! What if-"

Chie pushed him away and glared. "Well, what if she dies down there? We can't just leave her alone!"

Akihiko nodded, knowing that she wanted nothing more than to help her friend. "I know that we can't leave her alone but we can't just go in there without a plan. It'd be too risky. Even we don't know what's behind those doors."

Fuuka tried contacted Minato. "Minato-kun, can you hear me?"

An unclear reply came back. "Yes. -fine-"

"Minato-kun! Go and heal Naoko-kun! She's unconscious!"

From where he was, Minato stumbled upon hearing that. "N-naoko's inside as well?" he screamed into hi s communicator. He swore and traveled around to look for his kouhai, hiding from any shadows that may come at him. He finally found her, a rather powerful shadow lurking at her side.

"I found her, Fuuka. I'll bring her back immediately." Taking a deep breath, he dashed to the shadow and attacked from behind, catching it off guard. It took him at least half an hour to finally kill it while defending Naoto. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and kneeled at her side before casting recarm.

She blinked her eyes slowly before noticing hers senpai. "Minato-san..?"

He helped her up, bringing her arm around his shoulders. "That was careless, you know."

She chuckled. "I know… but isn't fighting alone careless as well?"

He rummaged through his pockets for a healing item and gave it to her. She straightened up a bit and pushed herself off him, brushing off the dirt from her clothes. "Thank you. I can walk on my own now."

Minato nodded. "Alright. C'mon. We have to get you out of here."

When the two finally came out, they were heavily scolded by an angered Mitsuru.

A glare was sent Minato's way. "Arisato, would you like to explain why you never told anyone about your secret rendezvous in those dungeons?" Though she sounded calm, it was clear that a wrong move would have you dead.

Minato looked at his feet, feeling very much like a kid in trouble. "… I was training…" he replied.

Mitsuru tapped her foot impatiently. "That doesn't answer why you never told anyone."

He gulped. "…It's something I have to do alone." He replied a little more strongly. "Trust me."

Her glare did not falter. "I trust you but I'd still like to know why you have to go in there when we have to climb up Tartarus."

He sighed in defeat. He'd have to tell them. "Remember back then when we were exploring tartarus? There'd always be one point wherein we could no longer continue because of the path being blocked" he explained.

Realization hit Mitsuru. "You mean… The possibility of the path being blocked—"

"It's just not a possibility. I know for sure they're blocked."

Just then, the teleported glowed an eerie green and the rest of the party joined them. Ryoji's legs gave out and he sat on the floor, panting. "Man, that was long!"

Yosuke sat beside him and sighed. "Yeah! Man am I tired!"

Junpei approached Mitsuru. "Senpai, we kinda have a problem."

"The path is blocked?" Minato asked.

Junpei nodded. "Yeah… I think we're going to have to wait…"

"But we cannot wait!" Aigis said. "What if—"

Akihiko sighed. "Again with the what if's!" he turned to Minato. "I think you know what we're supposed to do."

Minato nodded. "Yes. On the last floor of the Monad Depths, there's a key, an orb, that will clear anything blocking any path. I need to get there."

"Well, what if all of us went in? Wouldn't it be faster like that?" Chie suggested. Everyone gave her a look. "Eep, what? Bad idea?"

Mitsuru shook her head. "Actually, its not."


	14. Chapter 12

Minato shook his head, eyes wide and a frown set firmly on his face. The others turned to him with either confused looks or disapproving ones. "You can't come" he stated. "Like I said earlier, I have to do this alone." He made his way towards the doors again. "Everyone else just train until I get this job done."

Mitsuru frowned again. "You're being unreasonable, Arisato!" She made her way to him and grabbed him by the shoulder. "You should know the consequences of training alone!"

He brushed her off. "No. Did you forget? I've several personae at my disposal and I am very much capable of taking care of myself."

Yukari butted in. "But the chances of the enemy catching you off guard is-"

"It'll be fine, Yukari. Please don't worry about me." He smiled a little, trying to show her that she knew what she was doing. "I'll be fine, don't worry."

Akihiko placed both his hands on Minato's shoulders and spun him around to face him. "Listen to us,, Minato. We know that you're capable of taking care of yourself. After all, you watched over all of us for a year, lead us for a year and even did what we thought was impossible." His grip on Minato tightened. "But we can take care of ourselves, if that is your concern. You have to trust us."

"I do" Minato said, gently prying off his senpai's hands. "But I have to do this ALONE. Please understand this."

"I don't understand. Why do you have to do this alone?" Naoko asked, a frown on her face.

Minato sighed, frustrated. "Look, don't argue with me." He pushed the doors slightly. "As your leader, I command you to train and wait for me." He didn't want to use his authority as leader to boss everyone around but now seemed like he had every reason to do so. "Don't follow me."

Mitsuru tried once more, gently turning him around. "As yoursenpai," she said strongly, "I am commanding you to let us go with you." Her looks softened and she smiled gently. "And as your friend, I ask you to take us with you."

Minato groaned in frustration but finally relented. "Fine. . . but she's not going to be happy about this" the leader muttered, going inside with curious team mates following him inside.

Ryoji, despite being worn out from training, fell in place with Minato, his sword clanking noisily at his side. "Who won't be happy about this?" he asked, raising his eyebrow at the shorter boy. "Yukari-san?Mitsuru-san? It seems to me that they're happy that they're helping out here."

Minato shook his head and carefully walked pass a shadow. "No, not them."

"Then who?"Asked the brunet.

Minato sighed again and attacked a shadow. "You'll see. . ."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

It took a while and a lot of reviving and healing before they all finally reached the stairs of the ninth floor of the Monad Depths. Minato hesitantly climbed then turned to look at his friends. "Are you sure you want to pull through with this? You've all had a taste of how powerful the shadows are in this dungeon and I'm pretty sure that-"

"No more lectures" Kanji interrupted. "So, yeah, the shadows here are fuckin' strong but we're all still here, aren't we?"

Chie nodded in agreement. "Yeah! We're all fine!"

"And a little tired." Yosuke added, yawning slightly.

Yukuko jabbed his ribs discretely and nodded. "We'll be fine, Minato-senpai. Please don't worry about us."

"Well said, Amagi" Mitsuru complemented.

They all waited expectantly for Minato to climb up the stairs. Ryoji smiled at Minato, urging him to continue with his eyes. The leader sighed and continued, pushing the doors to the tenth floor open. He gulped.

Everyone slowly entered the room, looking around.

"This place is pretty empty" Seta commented before noticing a girl chuckling in the middle of the room. Everyone's attention went to the girl and they all readied themselves for a battle.

Minato walked forward and stood in front of the girl. He smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth-san. I tried to stop them but—""

Elizabeth placed a gloved finger over Minato's lips to silence him, bringing her face a little bit too close for comfort. Minato was used to her lack of knowledge when it came to personal space and raised his eyebrows at her. She giggled again. "It is alright, Minato-san. I said nothing about bringing them along."

He frowned and casted a side glance at his comrades before looking at Elizabeth again. "So I was freaking out for nothing?"

The velvet room assistant giggled. "It would seem so."

Yukari twitched. Who was this person who so freely spoke to Minato? Why was she in Tartarus? _What_ was she? She stepped forward, about to ask for questions when something invisible stopped her from moving any closer to their leader. She raised her hand and banged at the invisible wall separating them.

Junpei's eyes widened as he joined Yukari's side. "Wh-what the hell!"

Yosuke joined Seta's side and whispered to his leader. "D-dude, isn't she like that Margaret person?"

Seta nodded. "Yeah but I've never met her before."

Chie joined in the conversation after giving the invisible wall a fruitless kick. "Do you think she's one of the bad guys?"

"I highly doubt that" Naoto chipped in.

"As you can see, Minato-san," Elizabeth said, gesturing to his friends who struggled to break the wall "I have created an invisible barrier to separate you and your friends to insure that there will be no interferences." She giggled again before moving a few steps back to give them space to fight. "Interesting, is it not?"

Minato moved back as well, gripping his rapier tightly in his right hand. "What is?" he mused.

"This battle compared to our last. . . do you not think that now it is as if we were fighting in the coliseums of Greece? In front of an audience and fighting to the death?" she laughed. "Although, we are not fighting to the death, of course."

Minato nodded. "If I lose this battle?" he asked.

She hummed in thought, smile never leaving her face. "Then perhaps I shall challenge the rest of your friends, yes?"

Kanji gulped from the side lines. "If she's anything like that Margaret chick, then I don't wanna fight her."

"If you don't mind me asking" Mitsuru joined in "But who is this Margaret you speak of? Why does it seem like you know this person as well?"

The truth seekers stared at their leader, expecting him to answer. Seta nodded. "It's. . . kind of a long story. We don't know much about that person but we've met someone similar to her. I guess I'll leave most of the explaining to Minato-senpai."

Though it was childish, Minato had to admit to himself that fighting with Elizabeth was one of the most fun and challenging things that he has ever done. Dodging one of her normal attacks, Minato swung at her, hoping to land a scratch but she was too quick for his hand.

When she was at a safe distance, she opened her tome and pulled out a card. The persona Surt was summoned and she casted Ragnarok on Minato.

Barely having time to dodge, he got caught in the fire and screamed in pain. He rolled to the side, ignoring the burn on his shoulder and immediately casted diarahan on himself. It didn't quite heal his wound but it dulled the pain. He got up and dodged another attack from Elizabeth.

"That's not fair!" Yukiko shouted. "She's barely giving him time to get up!"

"It's a battle. . . " Akihiko said. "There is no such thing as 'unfair.'"

Elizabeth dodged Phantarei courtesy Minato and got close enough to their audience to speak with them. "Very well said, Akihiko Sanada-san."

Akihiko raised his eyebrows. "Y-you know my name?"

"But of course!" she ran forward to attack Minato again. It's been such a long time since she's felt the thrill of a decent battle and the fact that they had an audience multiplied the high feeling that pulsed through her veins. She briefly wondered if Minato himself was a human because the way he fought was_ monstrous_.

He summoned Metatron and Mithra to cast the fusion spell 'Last Judgement,' hoping to at least inflict notable damage. Elizabeth wasn't able to dodge and received the attack, full blow. Nonetheless, she got up as if it were nothing but smirked. "Strong as ever, Minato-san" she complemented as she used ragnarok on the persona user.

Minato grunted in response, barely dodging her attack. The two paused to catch their breath and he used this time to converse with the velvet room assistant. "For what purpose does this battle have?" he asked. "Didn't you already find the meaning in your life?"

Elizabeth smiled again. "The last battle did answer several of my questions" she replied, running her fingers through the pages of the tome in her hand. "But not all of them, Minato-san." She flipped her hair away from her face as she added "and besides, you of all people should know that the meaning of one's life doesn't necessarily mean that it will remain the same forever."

Junpei gave up banging on the wall as the two continued to fight. "What are they even takling about?" he asked out loud, fatigue finally catching up with him as he sat on the floor. "I can barely make out the words they're saying."

Ryoji joined him, placing his sword on the empty space next to him. "I can kinda read their lips" he said, squinting at the two people who continued to battle. "Elizabeth-san is talking about the meaning of life or something. They're too far away for me to see their lips clearly."

"Wait," Yukari interjected and looked at Ryoji. "You know her?"

Ryoji gulped when he realized the severity of his carelessness. "Uhm, yes?" All eyes turned to him and he felt rather uncomfortable under their scrutinizing gazes.

Chie raised here eyebrow. "Wait, wait, wait. Hold on" she said, raising her hand as if she was halting someone. "You mean to tell me that you've never met her before?"

Aigis raised a robotic hand. "I have met her many times before" she stated.

Yukari sent a glare at her. "You did and never told us?" but the her gaze softened and switched to one of mild hurt when she realized that Minato had yet again kept something from all of them.

Aigis looked down appologetically. "I apologize, Yukari-san. I just did not think it was necessary to mention her."

Yosuke placed a comforting hand on Yukari's shoulder. "I'm sure we'll get explanations soon enough, senpai" he said, smiling. "For now, you just have to trust him."

The archer took in a shaky breath but smiled for him. "Okay. I will - no, I do trust him." She gave the younger persona user a small hug before turning her attention back to the fight.

Seta raised a curious eyebrow when his second in command approached him, face pink and lips twitching into a sheepish smile. "Yosuke? Is something wrong?"

Yosuke shook his head. "Trouble's a brewing, dude."

"What do you mean?" the leader asked, pulling himself and his best friend away from everyone else so that they could talk privately. "What trouble?"

Yosuke chanced a glance at Yukari but immediately turned to look back at his best friend. He mentally berated himself for a having a stupid crush, especially when he knew that she was taken. His face grew a darker shade of red. "If I keep it in any longer, I might explode."

Seta stifled a laugh but calmed himself down after receiving a glare from the shorted boy. "You need to go to the bathroom at a time like this?" he joked.

Yousuke pouted. "Dude. Totally not cool."

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding" Seta said, patting his back lightly. "What's troubling you? You know that I'm always here for you right?"

"Through think and thin?"

"Through think and thin" repeated Seta.

Yosuke sighed. "GAH!IhavethissmallcrushonYukari-senpaiandIthinkit'sstupidbutIcan',." He took in along breath and awaited the reply of Seta. The blush never left his face.

Seta pursed his lips in thought. "Since you're telling me about it, doesn't that mean you're not denying it?" he asked. "You are not denying it, simply hiding it. Therefore, evil Yosuke will not take over your body."

Yosuke nodded slowly in understanding. "I guess that's right. . . "

"So it's alright to have a small crush. It wont hurt unless you're in love, in love, get what I mean?" He led Yosuke back to the others, rubbing comforting circles on the small of his back. "If you need to let anything out, I'm always here for you."

Yosuke smiled. "Thanks, bro. I knew I could count on you."

It was a long battle but finally, it was finished. Minato nearly collapsed as Elizabeth applauded his exquisite performance. Reaching into the pocket of her dress, she pulled out an orb and placed it in Minato's hand. "Very well done, Minato-san. I never expected anything less from you."

Minato sighed and smiled. "Thank you, Elizabeth."

The velvet room assistant smiled and lightly kissed Minato on the lips. She giggled at his awestruck face and bowed at his companions. "Please take care of Minato-san. Though I know that I don't have to tell you this."

Yukari glared daggers at her but managed to smile despite her anger. "O-of course we'll take care of him."

As Elizabeth exited, Junpei did the best he could to hold back Yukari who was already loading her bow.


	15. Chapter 13

Waking up in his room in with a head ache was something he has always been used to. In fact, one could almost say it was a nostalgic feeling. Letting out a soft sigh, he reached for the ceiling and stared at his hand. That hand of his that pushed the gun against his head so many times before. Pulled the trigger. Bang. Never has he had the hesitation to do it.

The first time he did when he saved Yukari all those years ago was.. Intense. He remembered, there was a little voice echoing in the back of his mind to pull the trigger. That pulling the trigger would set him free. And, that it did. Though it made him tired by the end of the whole ordeal, it still felt wonderful. At the time, when he still didn't talk much to the others, he was worried that maybe he was becoming suicidal or, he shuddered at the though, masochistic.

The door to his room let out a quiet squeak as someone walked in. It was closed, just as quietly. He wondered who it could be.

He turned his head to see Ryoji, smiling gently at him and not bothering to turn the lights on. "Good evening," Ryoji greeted, making his way to the bed to sit next to his friend.

Minato let out a small laugh, moving to the side to make room for the other boy. "Just like old times, huh?" he muttered quietly.

"What do you mean?" Ryoji asked, letting himself lay down on the bed beside Minato. "The fact that you get to fight alongside your friends again?"

Minato shook his head, turning on his side so that he could look at Ryoji as they spoke. "No, dumb-dumb… Don't you remember?"

Ryoji raised his eyebrows, turning to his side as well to face Minato. "Remember what? Honestly, we never really spent that much time together, you and me," he sighed. "Which in retrospect was kinda good, since you'd have a harder time deciding if you'd kill me or not."

"When the hell are you going to get over that?" Minato asked, hugging the friend beside him. "I don't even understand why you think so lowly of yourself. It's not like YOU chose to be the Appraiser.. It just so happens you were unlucky enough to be chosen."

"You were unlucky too, right?" Ryoji spoke back quietly. "If it weren't for me, Aigis-san wouldn't have had to do what she did."

"Cut the bull already, would you?" The way he spoke, however, was still silent and gentle, almost like he was still sleepy. He WAS still sleepy, but talking to Ryoji about this has been a pressing problem for the longest time. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have found the people I consider to be the family I never had."

"The same family you had to be separated from so soon," Ryoji muttered bitterly. "I don't want to do that to you again, Minato-kun, neither do I want any of our friends to go through such grief yet again."

"But we know now right?" Minato said, rubbing Ryoji's back carefully, since that seemed to work in calming the other boy down. "You're not a monster, you're not going to do that again. This time, you're our ally."

Ryoji laughed quietly, not wanting to break the peaceful silence around them. "You really are something special aren't you?" Ryoji's arms around Minato got tighter a little and it looked like he could let out a sob at any given moment. "I could hear you, you know?"

Minato raised his eyebrows at that. "What?"

"Back then, when you were the seal. I could.. I could hear what you were saying." Ryoji explained, his voice shaking a little. "I tried calling to you, and I was thinking that maybe we if you were alone, and I was alone, we could be alone together. At least it wouldn't have been so bad there at that empty place.."

"I.. what I remember the most.. Was at one point, I think you were crying," Ryoji muttered.

Minato sighed. Feeling a little embarrassed that someone was there after all to hear him and his thoughts.

"I remember you said that it was unfair, that you were still so young and that you still had your whole life ahead of you. You even.. you even said that there were times when you wished you died at that car crash with your parents. Surely being dead was better than being a seal, huh?"

"Three years of isolation can do things to you," Minato said. "Especially when you feel like no one will care about what you've accomplished, or any of the sacrifices you've made. And, yeah, I guess that really is something that made me sad."

"I swear, Minato-kun, I won't put you through that pain ever again," Ryoji promised. "I'd rather die than let that happen."

Minato hit his head gently, laughing. "You're such a dork sometimes, you know?" He sat up, stretching. "But thank you."

Minato got out of bed, rummaging through his closets for clothes in the dark and started to change his clothes.

Ryoji raised his eyebrows. "What are you doing?"

"I'm hungry," Minato replied, picking up his wallet and mp3 player to shove them into his pocket.

"It's 3am," Ryoji replied, a bit confused.

"There's a 24/7 store nearby I think." Minato turned to look at Ryoji. "Wanna come with me?"

Ryoji smiled. "Sure," he said as he got out of bed. "We can share my scarf. It's a little cold outside at this time isn't it?"

The two left the dorm quietly.

* * *

When the two came back home, there was Akihiko at his usual spot on the couch, reading the paper. "Oh, I didn't know you went out."

"Minato-kun had the midnight munchies," Ryoji replied with a silly smile on his face, earning him a nudge from Minato.

Akihiko scoffed. "Midnight munchies, huh?"

"I got hungry," he explained with a slightly embarrassed look on his face.

"You know, I've noticed something different." Mitsuru said as she came out from the kitchen with two mugs of coffee, one for herself and the other for Akihiko. Akihiko took his gratefully as Mitsuru sat down beside him.

"What would that be?" Ryoji asked. "Could it be you're finally acknowledging your attraction towards me?" He joked, taking the seat opposite the senpais, dragging Minato along with him.

Akihiko scoffed and Mitsuru just gave a tiny smile. "No, not that."

"Then what?" Minato asked.

"The two of you are spending a lot of time together," she said, taking a sip of her coffee. "Not that it's out of the usual or anything. What is out of the usual is that Junpei-kun isn't alongside you as well."

"It was late when we went out," Minato said, and he couldn't shake of the feeling that something was a bit.. Odd. It felt a little bit like he was being interrogated or something, although in a much kinder way.

"You know I'm not speaking of only today," she said. "Ever since you've returned to this dorm, it's almost as if you're attached at the hip, so to say."

"Mitsuru.." Akihiko interrupted, sensing the same thing Minato was. "What are you playing at?"

"Yes, Mitsuru-senpai," Minato agreed. "Something seems to be on your mind. What do you want to know?"

Ryoji stayed quiet, not sure if he should butt into the conversation. He played with the hen if his scarf, feeling the atmosphere around them get a little heavy.

"I suppose you want me to get to the point," she said, crossing her legs in a manner that seemed so professional. "I don't want to sound like the bad guy in this situation, but I want to take all the precautions if it were possible to do so."

"Precautions?" Akihiko asked, staring at her. "What precautions? You haven't told me about anything."

"Because I wasn't certain of my hypothesis just yet," she retorted.

"So you're certain of it now?" Akihiko asked, sounding lightly agitated.

"Not just yet, which is why I have to know." She turned her attention to Ryoji. "I'm afraid that I can't exactly trust you," she said bluntly. "It's not that I have any personal grudge against you or anything of the likes, but it just isn't natural."

"Oh so what? Shooting yourself in the head is?" Akihiko argued, anger rising. "I know how hard it is to trust someone but Mitsuru, come on!"

"I don't see why you're so invested in this, Akihiko."

Minato watched his two senpais, slightly concerned, mostly confused. He looked at Ryoji, who seemed to be a little depressed at the thought that someone didn't trust him. Minato was sure he was thinking of all those depressing things again and sighed. He put his hand over Ryoji's and held it, as if telling him to calm down.

"You were the same way with Shinji!" he exclaimed, voice rising a little.

"Akihiko, calm down and be quiet. You might wake the others up," she said sternly, giving him a glare that could freeze hell over.

"All I'm saying is even if you don't trust him, we have twice the number of people we had back then and if anyone were to go AWOL we'd still have the situation under control," he growled back quietly, then sent an apologetic look towards Ryoji and Minato.

"Don't get so cocky, Akihiko. Even if we've increased in numbers, that could still mean nothing if he still has the capabilities of summoning Nyx." She said, her anger just as hot as Akihiko's.

Ryoji tried to say that he wasn't, but no words came from his mouth. He shut it again, looking dejectedly at the floor.

"God DAMN it, Mitsuru!" Akihiko growled, slamming his palms down on the table. "Then what do you want us to do huh? KILL HIM? Even though all those years ago we were so determined to let him live when he was practically begging us to kill him? And now that he's actually here and happy and willing to help you bring this bull shit up?"

"Don't talk about him like he's not even here," Minato said quietly, though he was starting to get really irritated.

That comment seemed to calm the two both down enough to get their voices back to a quiet tone.

"Just get to the point," Minato said again after the silence. "Please."

Mitsuru nodded. "Like I said, I do not particularly trust you. It just seems like you know so much more than we do and I can't help but feel like you're hiding something from us."

"All I know, Mitsuru-san, I've already told you," Ryoji said quietly. "I have nothing more to tell you in regards to Nyx' return. All we know is that Erebus broke the seal and her decent down to the earth is upon us again."

Mitsuru sighed again. "And why the over attachment to Minato-kun lately? You're not influencing his decisions, are you?"

"Maybe I just like spending time with him," Minato said a little embarrassedly, trying his best to keep a calm face.

"Sound to me like you like him," said a voice that caught all of their attention. Ken came out of the kitchen with a bowl of cereal in hand and sat at the dining room table to eat breakfast.

"How much of that did you hear?" Mitsuru asked.

"Uh… Most of it, actually," Ken said with an indifferent shrug. "I usually wake up very early so.."

Minato's face kind of floundered slightly. "Well, I do like him," he told Ken. "He is my friend, after all."

"Well, it looks like you like him more than a friend. I mean, you're holding his hand pretty tightly," The younger boy replied calmly. "There's nothing wrong with that anyway."

Ken was always so smart.

Mitsuru, upon hearing that, finally noticed that they were indeed holding hands. "Oh…"

"Oh.." Akihiko agreed. "So you swing that way?" he asked.

Minato shrugged. "I swing both ways."

"Nothing wrong with that," Ken said again.

Mitsuru, a little embarrassed nodded. "Nothing is wrong with that indeed. I'm sorry I accused you of such, uh, serious blames," she said, bowing down. "I suppose it just didn't occur to me that this could also be a possibility."

Ryoji didn't know how to respond with words so he just bowed as well. So.. He and Minato huh… Well, he didn't mind that at all. He held Minato's hand tighter.

There was an awkward silence before Akihiko broke it. "Hey, Mitsuru," he said, "Sorry for getting mad like that. I can understand why you'd think like that and I guess I was letting my heart do more of the talking rather my mind."

Mitsuru smiled. "Well, I think that's why we make a good team," she said.

"Want to head into the kitchen and I can teach you to cook?" Akihiko said, sending a look towards Minato that said they could leave if they wanted to.

So Minato pulled out of his chair and pulled Ryoji along with him, bowing slightly at his senpais.

As the two passed by the dining room table, Minato gave Ken a pat on the head. "You saved me there, thank you."

Ken smiled. "It was kind of obvious anyway."

* * *

**Its****2013**


	16. Chapter 14

It was later that night when everyone was gathered around the table for dinner when Yukari brought it up.

"So," she said loud enough to catch the attentions of the others. "Who was that anyway, Minato-kun?" The look on her face was aggressively challenging, and if Minato weren't used to it by now, he'd probably be a little bit threatened. "That creepy girl down there in The Monad Depths, hmm?"

Mitsuru put down her drink and nodded in curious agreement. "Yes, I wasn't able to bring it up this morning and I'd really appreciate it if you were to elaborate more on who she is."

Minato hummed in thought, rolling his tongue around in his mouth slowly as he tried to think of the best possible answer. "It's kind of a long story," he decided was the best answer.

"It's still a long while till midnight," Mitsuru urged, fixing her eyes upon their once gone leader. "Don't leave out any details. It is imperative that we are all aware of those with the strength of that woman; whether or not we should consider them as allies or foes. Merely a safety precaution of course, so that we can avoid pointless battles." She elaborated, when Akihiko gave her a look that said 'drop it.'

Minato pondered more, disregarding the looks sent at his direction. Should he tell them? Would Elizabeth even approve of that? He knew what she was like when she was mad, and it was not a lovely sight to see. "I'll have to get back on you on that," he said with a small shrug of his shoulders. "There are a few things that I need to discuss with her myself," he added, his hand slipping into his pocket to clutch at the item he was rewarded with just to make sure it was still there.

"Was it part of your contract?" Seta asked from beside him, his eyebrows raised in question.

Minato shook his head, "I'm not too sure… My contract wasn't made with her after all," he said quietly. "Do the rules of my old contract even still apply to me?" He was talking more to Seta now, feeling some sort of unspoken bond with his fellow wild card. "Considering the fact that I've already reached the end of my journey…"

The whole room seemed to disappear around them, neither of the leaders really noticing that their comrades were asking them questions. "I don't think so. I mean, you're done with that and we signed a new contract together, didn't we?"

"Oh, yes. He informed me about that… A joint contract…" he let out a small sigh and nibbled at the tips of his chopsticks. "I wouldn't want you to have to go through what I did once before."

Seta nodded in understanding, putting his chopsticks down, uninterested in eating now that they've started talking about matters that only the two of them could really understand. "Maybe there's a loop hole. Maybe neither of us has to die?"

And that's when the two noticed that the room grew quiet, and all eyes were on them.

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Junpei asked with an angered look on his face. "Don't leave us out of the fucking loop just because you don't think we're not good enough!"

"Junpei!" Yukari hissed at him. "You know that's not how he feels!"

"Well how the hell am I supposed to know, huh?! He NEVER tells us anything! How the hell are we supposed to know if what we're doing is even right?" He slammed his fist against the table in annoyance. He turned to look at Minato, though his glare had softened to something akin to pleading. "C'mon dude," he said a little over a whisper but the room was so quiet that everyone heard him loud and clear. "I'm your best fucking friend, aren't I? You can't keep carrying everything on your shoulder by yourself when we're right fucking here!"

Minato looked a little surprised at his outburst. He and Junpei? Best friends? Well, they never really told each other that back in high school. Probably because the need to was never actually necessary. "I know what I'm doing Junpei."

"Do you really?" Ryoji intervened, a look of worry on his face as well.

Silence filled the room.

"We're straying off topic," Naoto said after clearing her throat. "If you can't tell us now, Minato-san, when will you be able to tell us?"

Minato sighed again, picking up his rice bowl to continue eating. "Maybe later tonight, I guess.."

Dinner was awkward.

"Talk about tense, sheesh!" Chie said, after they finished dinner, talking to her own group of friends. "They've been through so much but they're pretty… distant, aren't they?"

"We'll you gotta put into consideration what they went through," Yosuke said, plopping down on the bed he shared with Seta. "Minato-san actually died, you know? Or, I guess in this case he disappeared from the face of the planet for a couple of years. Wouldn't you be scared if you knew you'd be losing someone important all over again?"

"Though that is true, Yosuke-san, it still doesn't explain why Minato-san is keeping so many secrets from us." Naoto turned her attention to Seta. "I'm sorry to sound as if I'm interrogating you but what exactly is it that you two were talking about?"

"Yeah," Kanji agreed, squeezed in between Rise and Teddie on the floor. "The two of you were just mumbling a bunch of shit to each other and ignored everyone," he grumbled.

Seta pondered. Nowhere in the contract that it said that he wasn't allowed to talk about the Velvet Room, but he never told anyone because he didn't think it was important. They couldn't see it anyway, and they might have thought he was going crazy or something. "We were talking about a contract that we both signed," he told them. "I don't quite understand it all that well myself but it just kind of felt wrong to talk about it with outsiders."

"Outsiders?" Rise asked, looking a little bit down.

"What I mean by that is that he and I are special," he said, hoping to cheer her up.

"Oh, that's right," Yukiko said with a nod. "The multiple persona thing."

"So what about that contract has anything to do with dying?" Yosuke asked, a little bit tense as well. He knew what it felt like to lose someone important, and he sure as hell didn't want it to happen again.

"That's what we don't know," Seta replied, scratching the back of his head unhappily.

Before he could go on, there was a knock on the door. Yukiko stood up and opened the door to reveal Minato.

"Excuse me, but Seta-kun do you mind coming with me?" he asked, bowing slightly in acknowledgement to everyone in the room.

Seta nodded and stood up. There was a lot that needed to be discussed with his senpai. "Will we be long?" he asked, making his way out of the room, giving Yosuke a look that said he'd be fine before walking out of the room to follow Minato down the stairs.

"No more than an hour or so," the blue-haired persona user answered. "We just have to talk about a few things."

"I feel the same way," Seta agreed, walking a little faster to fall in place.

"Are you afraid of death?" Minato asked as they walked out the dorms, one earphone still clinging onto his ear.

"I.. Never really thought about it," he said with a shrug. "I've faced countless of shadows but I always assumed that we'd pull through it. Call it arrogance, I suppose, but I felt like we were indestructible." Which was true. He always got positive energy from all his friends, and the shared determination that they had was something that gave him the strength to push forward and keep moving forward without any regrets.

"Arrogance, indeed," Minato agreed, stretching his arms above his head as the walked, then replaced his hands in his pockets once more. "But really think about it.. There is still a chance where one of us will have to give up our life and quite honestly, I don't mind if I have to do it again."

"How can you say that?" Seta asked, honestly perturbed. "I know that.. giving up your life or mine is a probability but how can you say that like living doesn't really matter much to you?"

"Doesn't it matter to you?" he countered.

"It does, but—"

"Then why are you trying to pass up the chance to doge a bullet from death?" He stopped and looked at his kohai, a curious look on his face.

"Because your friends care about you," he grumbled unhappily. "Can't we try to find a way to avoid death?"

"We are all going to be embraced by the arms of death, it's just some of us sooner than others," Minato replied, getting onto the monorail to who even knows where. Seta followed anyway. "And I'm already acquainted with said embrace. I was meant to die on that day and I feel like I'm cheating death just by being here. It's a little… complicated. Death has always been something familiar to me."

"That's not something anyone wants to be acquainted with," Seta said with a frown.

They had been talking for quite some time that Seta didn't notice that Minato was already pulling out his velvet key to open the door.

* * *

Meanwhile, elsewhere…

"Are you alright, senpai?" Yosuke asked, as he went down for a cup of coffee to find Junpei sitting in thought in the lounge.

"If you're talking about the outburst earlier, yeah I think I'm pretty much okay," he said with a shrug. "Nothing like mind numbing T.V. huh?" he said, nodding his head in the general direction of the TV.

Yosuke plopped down beside him and nodded. "Uhm… I guess I just wanna say something," he said after a couple of minutes.

"Oh yeah?" Junpei asked curiously. "What's that?"

"I get how you feel," he said a little embarrassed. "I mean, fuck, I'd be really scared if I knew I might loose my partner." The thought honestly made him feel a little sick to his stomach, and he really preferred not to think about it but considering that they're going to go up against a god again, maybe this time they might not make it.

"Your partner?" Junpei said with a small smirk.

"My best friend! Our leader! You know what I mean!" he said, slightly flustered.

"Yeah, chill out man," Junpei said laughing, slapping Yosuke on the back in camaraderie. "It's really scary, especially since he likes to do things that scare the shit out of everyone just because he thinks it's his responsibility to give up everything he's got."

Yosuke nodded. "Yeah…"


	17. Chapter 15

"A magnificent journey is what I see ahead," Igor said in that same old creepy voice the two wild cards were so used to. "Of course, on the unbeaten path that you both have chosen to take there will be many, many hardships that will come your way," he continued, looking with interest at the cards laid out before him on the table. He shifted his gaze to look at his two guests and grinned. "I know that you two have many questions to be asked, but I'm afraid that I cannot tell you for certain."

"Why not?" Seta asked, peering at the cards himself, as if he could understand what they meant. "Aren't you an omnipotent being or something?"

Igor chuckled, as did Margaret beside him. "My boy, I have abilities much more complex than you can even imagine." The cards levitated up from the table, floating around in a way that reminded the two boys of butterflies. "But, such as yourselves, I am bound by the rules of the universe and there are some things that even I do not know."

"So, the chances of one of us ending up dead?" Minato asked curiously.

"Likely equal to the chances of you two surviving," he answered.

"But in turn, wouldn't that also mean that the chances of both of us dying is also equal?" the blue haired boy continued to ask.

"Correct," Igor said. "I am merely and observer and moderator for our guests, I'm afraid that the answers you seek will only make themselves prevalent if you are to continue move forward."

"This is really frustrating," Seta said with a sigh. "How in the world are we supposed to kill a god who can't die?"

"We can only seal it," Minato said with a shrug. "Like what I did back then."

"But of course, that's not the path we're taking this time." Seta said with a small smile. "I'm sure that we can think of a way."

Minato relented and gave a smile back. "I guess you're right. There's no point in thinking of the 'what ifs' when we can be out there discovering that for ourselves."

Margaret cleared her throat, catching both of their attention. "I have a request."

Minato and Seta exchanged looks, before answering her. "What might that be?" Seta asked, since he felt a stronger bond with Margaret rather than Minato.

"My sister," she began with a frown on her face, "has left this place in search for more answers to the questions that keep plaguing her thoughts." She opened her tome to look at the cards, a look of frustration barely evident on her face. "It has triggered me to ask questions of my own, though I dare not leave this place unless completely necessary."

"Then what is it that you want?" Minato asked.

"Well, I suppose that this quest is more inclined to you, Minato-sama, since you are much more closer to her than I myself," she said with an almost sad sounding sigh. "Please help my sister fin the answers she seeks, so that she may return and tell me of her findings."

"Wouldn't you want to find that out by yourself?" Seta asked.

"I would, to be honest," she closed the tome and folded her hands neatly over her lap. "However, as the master has stated, we are bound by the rules of the universe and at the moment, my role right now is to assist Igor-sama in his assistance with you."

Minato nodded in understanding and got up, "I'll see what I can do," he replied before tugging Seta off his seat and out the Velvet room. "We'll be back."

"And we will be expecting you," Igor said, bidding them farewell.

They stared at each other as silence overtook their senses and they both let out a sigh they didn't know they were holding in. Seta grinned in a manner that looked almost despondent. "Its like we came to ask questions and only got more questions than answers."

"Honestly, I don't really expect Igor to tell us the details," he said, leading the way back to the dorm. "Though, I always assumed that he was the one pulling the strings around here, and yet he's following someone else's rules…"

"What are you trying to say?" Seta asked, looking bewildered.

"Well, I don't know about it for sure, but right now, I'm getting the feeling that we're not just facing Nyx here." He said, taking note of the time. It was thirty minutes to midnight. "Just call it a gut feeling, but I think we may have bitten off more than we can chew."

Seta let out a loud chuckle. "Yeah, I guess we should just stick to going against a god."

Minato punched his arm lightly. "You know what I mean," though there was a smirk in his tone. "But speaking seriously though, aren't you getting this strange feeling that… something else is going to happen?"

Just as they were going to cross the road, a motorcycle came roaring down the streets, nearly running them over. Startled, the two wild cards stumbled back against each other and ended up falling flat on the floor.

"How rude," Minato commented, nonchalantly still splayed across Seta's back.

"Senpai," Seta whined. "Please get off, I think I'm laying on a rock or something," he wriggled until Minato finally stood up.

Both boys turned their attention to the motorcycle, that seemed to be making its way back to them. Minato raised an eyebrow at Seta.

"Is he going to apologize?" Seta asked, standing up and dusting himself off and afterwards looking as the red motorcycle got closer. "Maybe he isn't so rude after all."

"I don't think that's it," Minato said, his stance getting more defensive as compared to his usually slacked posture. "I'm getting a bad feeling about this man."

Seta couldn't help but agree. There was something about this person that seemed… Different. It's as if he stood out from a crowd. Though he couldn't see his face, he had a feeling that something this was the second thing that Minato may have been talking about. He assumed a defensive position as well, practically glaring as the motorcycle finally stopped in front of them.

The biker took his helmet off to reveal a man, probably in his mid-twenties, who had a very serious look on his face. "You two," he started, tucking his helmet under his arm as let the engine die. "Are not normal," he said.

"I told you he was rude," Minato muttered, but it was loud enough that all three of you could hear it. "Did you come to apologize or did you come for a fight?"

"Please," the biker said with a scoff. "I'm in no shape for a fight, at least not anymore."

"Who are you?" Seta questioned, a glare slowly making its way onto his face.

"It doesn't matter who I am," he stated. "But I think you two matter."

"You're being awfully vague," Minato said quietly.

"I'll cut to the chase," the man said, tipping his head to the side and his neck made a horrible crack. "I know that you two are not just any ordinary students," he said, eyeing the two wild cards. "I can… sense it, if you will."

"Go on," Minato said, still on defensive mode.

"And the atmosphere now is rather… foreboding, if you will." He scratched his chin, as if thinking of the right words to say. "I'm not asking you to trust me or anything but here," he handed Minato a piece of paper that had scribbles on it. Upon closer inspection, it was an address. "If ever you need help or have any questions, come to that place and you might find me there."

"Sounds to me like you're trying to kidnap us or something," Seta said in disgust.

"I said you didn't have to trust me," he repeated and brought his engine back to life once more. "I'm just being of assistance to those who may need it."

"You've lost me," Minato stated bluntly.

"Just go there if you need help, alright?" The man put his helmet back on. "See you," he said with a small wave, before riding down the street like nothing happened.

Seta watched and let himself relax again, peering at the address given to them. "What a creep," he muttered. "Do you think maybe he's psychotic, maybe?"

"Possibly," Minato replied, putting the address into his pocket. "We can't rule that possibility out."

"Do you think it's safe to go there?" Seta asked, following as the elder persona user started walking again.

"Not in the very least, to be honest. But, he seemed like he meant what he was saying…" He sighed, confused. "What a weird guy."

As they entered the dorm, it was Ryoji who greeted them, "where did you guys go?" he asked, like a child, with a smile on his face.

"Had some questions to ask," Minato replied, letting the yellow clad boy hug him affectionately.

"Did you get your answers?" Ryoji asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nope," Minato replied.

"Darn," Ryoji said.

"Darn indeed," Seta agreed.

"Where is everyone?" Seta asked, noticing that no one was in the lounge.

Ryoji looked around himself and shrugged. "I guess they assumed that you guys were coming home later, and decided against going to Tartarus today."

"That's fine," Minato said. "I think I have a head ache anyways…"

"Oh, wait," Seta interrupted before Minato could retreat to his room. "Weren't you going to ask Elizabeth-san a question?"

"She wasn't there," Minato replied.

"What are you going to do about Mitsuru-san when she asks again?" Seta asked, joining their pace as they walked up the stairs.

"I guess the only choice I have is to come clean."

* * *

**AN: To that one person asking about weather or not Aigis still holds the wild card: in this AU, no, she doesn't. She inherited that gift from Minato, and since he's back he took back the power that is rightfully his. Dude, did you even play The Answer? It pretty much explains Metis' whereabouts. As for Labrys, this story was written ages ago even before Persona Arena was announced so I didn't even know Labrys existed. **

**That aside, mystery red motorcycle man. I bet you guys already know who he is.**


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